Lucky charm
by BrassLass
Summary: Ladybugs luck keeps improving while the cat is haunted not only by his bad fortune, but by the mysterious men that ruined their chances almost a year ago. Both Marinette and Adrien do their best to make sure the other is safe, even at a distance, forgetting that sometimes even the best of heroes need a helping hand, wherever it comes from. *Direct continuation of my fic Catacylsm*
1. Snake eyes

The alarm resonated across the room for a full minute before a tiny red dot drowsily flew towards the phone and turned it off. Tikki yawned and, after blinking a couple times, realized Marinette was not awake yet. What a surprise, she thought, the apparent immunity of her charge against alarms never ceasing to amuse her. The kwami floated over the girls head and used her best working strategy as of today: She carefully selected one of the stray hairs from her head, making sure it was one of the strong ones, then pulled.

"I'm awake! I'm awake!" Marinette said as she instantly sat on her bed, eyes not even completely open yet. Tikki giggled.

"Sorry" Whispered the kwami with her sweetest voice, but both of them already knew she wasn't feeling all that guilty about her little waking up method.

Marinette groaned as she started to move, not bothering to reply to the little god of creation, who just grabbed a cookie that the Dupain-Chengs left for her and started nibbling on it while the girl got ready.

The kwami watched as the routine played before her, doing her best, as every morning, day and night, to pretend that she had no other cares in the world other than having enough cookies to eat and being warm and cozy. They both knew that was not true at all, but the sense of normalcy was something the heroine needed badly, so Tikki reminded Marinette of the stuff she needed for school, to brush her teeth and that one of her pigtails was loose. Occasionally, though, she did have to bring delicate topics to light.

"It's getting red again" The kwami carefully pointed out when Marinette was sitting on the border of her bed, putting her shoes on.

The girl looked at Tikki for a second, then understood what the god meant. She moved towards the mirror and grabbed one of her pigtails and, after some inspection, sighed. For some reason, no amount of high quality dye would prevent the tips of her hair from returning to their red hue. The red kwami looked down, pondering of her part on the girls problems.

"I guess it will be girls night this weekend" Said the designer, but Tikki relaxed, knowing by the girls tiny smile and her tone that she wasn't really mad or sad about it. She really did enjoy having Chloe and Alya over, and keeping her hair color normal was just a mild, inconvenient excuse for them to hang out.

The tension came back to the little god, however, when the girl resumed with her routine, which included sitting down her desk, opening one of the drawers and taking out a couple objects. A scratch card was one of them, which she took from a stack the girl kept. The other one was a small pouch, full of different types of dice.

Tikki watched as Marinette scratched the ticket and groaned, then moved on to the small sack, choosing a couple of normal six part dice today.

"Number?" The girl asked as she shook her hands holding the small cubes.

"Eight" Said Tikki, not even thinking twice. Marinette's eyes rolled. The red god decided to pick a less obviously probable number the next time. Ten maybe.

"Two" Said the girl, throwing the dice.

Tikki cringed, knowing by the designers expression that two dots were staring back at her on the desk without having to look. Marinette then proceeded to do it again and again, only stopping when the numbers were finally something other than a couple of ones.

The kwami maintained her facade of cheerfulness while at the same time she kept count of how many times Marinette had to try her luck this morning for it to go against her. Today was seven times, yesterday six. Last week it had only been three. Her charge's luck was getting better and better, and that only meant one important thing for the girl.

"Adrien…" Marinette whispered, staring numbly at the dice on her desk.

Tikki worriedly watched as the girl stood still for a couple minutes, then a sound downstairs woke her up from that little moment, and Marinette was moving again. She put the items on her desk in their respective places, grabbed her bag and started heading downstairs for another day of school. At least it was friday, thought the kwami while she floated behind the girl.

"Good morning Marinette, good morning Tikki" Greeted Sabine, the woman only looked up one second from the cake she was decorating. Tom's voice repeated his wife's words from the bread area as a flour cloud came out from there.

The girl and the kwami returned the greetings and Sabine still didn't look up, at least not until she noticed that Marinette walked past her and the table full of breakfast food.

"Where are you going so fast young girl?" Asked the woman, and Tikki couldn't help but feel like the scolding was for her too, hunching her tiny shoulders the same way Marinette did.

"Breakfast first!" Tom said from the other room before Marinette could answer her mother's question.

Marinette looked outside through the window, and both her mother and Tikki knew that she was looking at the mailbox. But it had been too many times already that the designer put her correspondence before having breakfast, and her parents were having none of that any longer. Tikki nudged at Marinette's shoulders, prompting her to go back to reality and take at least a croissant.

"You need all the energy you can get, you are still growing after all" Said Sabine, more out of routine now than as anything else.

"I don't think I'll grow any more mom…" Commented the girl as she poured some orange juice for herself.

"Nonsense! I was your age when I got yet another growth spurt, and it wasn't even the last one!" The man's voice came from the next room. Tikki giggled at the mental image of a Ladybug the size of Tom Dupain-Cheng. Now THAT would be an intimidating heroine.

"I'm a girl dad…and seventeen" Said Marinette pretending to be annoyed, but the kwamis giggle was contagious enough to leak all the harshness out of her voice.

"Seventeen year old girls still need breakfast" Said Sabine, also smiling, and that was the end of the conversation because Marinette finished eating and was going for the door again, this time getting stopped by no one.

As expected, the mailbox was empty. Tikki looked up to check her charge's expression, but she only found the usual disappointment, no tears. It had been a month since Marinette's eyes watered after not getting what she wanted from that mailbox, two months since the last of Adrien Agreste's letters arrived.

The classroom was already busy when Marinette entered the room, but she was not the last one to arrive, the girl realized, relief making her sigh as she took her spot, unnoticed. Ever since the disastrous Easter fashion gala almost a year ago, Marinette made it her mission to never be late again for class. Not because of her new sense of responsibility towards her education, or even because she wanted to hide her identity as Ladybug, heroine of Paris. No. It was because she developed a real, gut wrenching, anxiety inducing fear of being the center of attention as her civilian self. And arriving late only meant too many eyes on her, judging her and thinking about her presence. And expecting her to answer their questions.

She knew it was silly, but even though it was Chloe who actually took most of the questioning and gossip and relentless curiosity from their classmates head on after the event, Marinette still hated the pitying looks, the reassuring half smiles and the eyes full of shame some of her contemporaries still threw at her. Specially those who had known about her short lived relationship with Adrien Agreste, aka Chat Noir, controversial ex-hero of Paris who had been missing for the last ten months.

To everyone outside their little group, Adrien was a mystery, the main source of gossip for anyone between twelve and, well, anyone with internet and access to TV, really. The most popular model in the city turned criminal. The son of Hawkmoth, the villain who terrorized the city of love for almost three years before finally getting defeated and incarcerated. The details of the process were muddy at best for the average citizen, but virtually everyone knew there was a gap between his defeat by the heroes and his arrest at the gala. Not to mention said heroes were gracefully invited by the man to the party. Anything in between, including the role the girl known as Lila Rossi, who might or might not have been a supervillain depending on who you asked, was a fog of unanswered questions and confidential information the government of France and the powers of the world were not going to release anytime soon. Marinette wished it would never happen, but she also hated being one of the few known sources of clues by her peers, not even taking into account all that she knew because she was Ladybug, not just Marinette.

"Hey" A low but feminine voice broke Marinette's thoughts, forcing her to look up from her desk up to Juleka's face.

Tall as ever, the goth girl was smiling awkwardly as she sat down on Alya's empty seat. Marinette merely raised an eyebrow. They had not been on the best terms these past months, even though her and Rose already apologized profusely for mistrusting the designer and taking Lilas side. By that time, Marinette was so done with everything that was going on and the results of their last confrontation with the Italian, that she hadn't had the energy or the will to befriend the couple properly again. And then there was Luka…

"I just wanted to ask you… do you know where my brother spent the night yesterday?" The designer could tell that just asking that had costed Juleka greatly, she had to overcome the guilt of remembering her antagonism with Marinette before the gala just to talk to her.

"He was probably with Chloe" Suggested the designer, knowing full well that she was being a little petty. Juleka absolutely despised the now kind of public relationship that the blonde and her brother had. Her slight eye twitch confirmed that was not the answer she wanted.

"Ok… thank you" Said the goth before slowly getting up and going back to her seat next to Rose.

Marinette felt a pang of guilt at her own behavior. Juleka might be a bit too childish about her brothers private life, but the girl was otherwise completely innocent and didn't deserve the useless reminder. The designer decided to convince herself that it was this or telling Juleka the truth, that Luka probably spent the night with Master Fu, again. But that would require to spill a bunch of information she was sure not going to. So she just shrugged and kept waiting quietly for her best friend to arrive, while trying to avoid sulking about her morning.

She had found two Euros on the street while walking to school even though the rain should have washed them away, on top of the dice giving her the number she wished for seven times in a row. It was getting harder and harder not getting stressed about what her good fortune implied for her missing partner. She was sure he was ok, convinced that she would somehow know if something bad happened to him, but still. The fact that he hadn't been able to send her anything in two months, when she used to receive letters every three days, didn't help either.

"Girl, why the monday face on a friday morning?" Alyas voice said as she sat down besides her, forcing Marinette out of her thoughts again. So much for not sulking.

"Seven times, and nothing on the mailbox" She said lying her head back on her arms, knowing that no one hearing them would understand what those words meant. Alya certainly did, as well as Nino, who was taking his spot in front of them. Next to the DJ, an empty space that had not been reclaimed even though they got a few new students that August was probably the most glared at spot on the whole classroom. Marinette was pretty sure it was not coincidence that no one had taken it, given Nino's still fierce loyalty to the missing blond.

"I'm sure we will know from him soon" The fox heroine whispered, trying to reassure her like she did almost everyday lately. Marinette just nodded. Nino didn't comment.

The last person to arrive at the classroom, just as the teacher was starting the lecture, was Chloe Bourgeois. Forgotten were the days when just knowing the blonde was near made Marinette anxious or annoyed. Instead of expecting a mean comment or provocation, all the designer and the ex-bully exchanged now was banter here and there. At least in public.

In reality, Chloe was rapidly becoming another person that Marinette could call "a close friend", and that was not a label she was giving out easily these days. She was pretty sure they were close to "would take a bullet for the other" territory now, though she wasn't completely sure yet. Marinette smiled, remembering how not even Luka was all that good at predicting what the blonde would do or say next.

Before going for her seat and completely ignoring the angry stare of the teacher, Chloe approached Nino of all people and, leaning in slightly, whispered:

"Nothing?" Her voice was low enough that, even though everyone on the classroom was awkwardly quiet and watching them, no one would be able to hear them. Nino just shook his head in answer, but Chloe lifted her eyes to look at Marinette's, the same question they all had floating in her blue irises.

The designer shook her head softly just like Nino did seconds ago. Staring at the rich girls gaze, Marinette thought this was probably a mirror of her own, of her same little hope vanishing as she realized that morning that this would be another day with no news from Adrien. Chloe tsked and resumed her way to her seat next to Sabrina, who was doing her best effort of pretending that nothing weird had happened. The teacher got over his anger with a sight and, following Sabrina's example, shrugged and continued with the lecture.

After a couple of foggy weeks following the Easter Gala, Marinette had been truly trying to retake control over her life and keep everything in order. She patrolled the streets of Paris at night and sometimes during the day too, so people could see that Ladybug was keeping her promises. She fought crime alongside her team, mostly Alya and Nino. She drew and drew and drew, in part to keep herself busy everytime she was at home and fill her head with more productive ideas other than musing over her missing boyfriend; In part to work on her future. And she had made the effort of improving her grades and never being late again, even if Tikki being her alarm clock was a questionable use of the friendly god of creation. She really tried, but today she was failing.

It was just impossible to not start her usual round of panicky theories of what could be going on with her partner. Instead of paying attention to any of her teachers, that friday Marinette rehearsed his last letter in her head over and over, which had nothing but the typical pun-filled stories and loving words for her. She tried to map his route across the country in her imagination which, as always, lead her to nowhere useful. He never disclosed where he was going next and she knew the letters had some delay, so he never was where he sent them from at the moment of her opening the envelopes. Sometimes he circled around an area for weeks, sometimes he went straight north then back south, sometimes his route made a bit of sense. The boy was obviously running away in an unpredictable manner, which was the whole point of him not being with her in the first place.

By the end of her school day, Marinette had a bunch of useless and not all that new theories of what could have happened to Adrien, all of them making her conclude that she just needed to talk to the guardian about this. Both of them.

The tiny apartment smelled like tea and hospital. The small elderly man was lying on a well equipped bed, surrounded by books, incense and the machines that kept him steady. Master Fu waited patiently for his dinner as he switched channels on the TV, not really interested in watching movies but not feeling like getting depressed with the news either. He already knew why the weather was getting weirder and that some punks defaced Chat Noirs statue, again.

Suddenly, a noise on his window made him stop his surfing and look outside, where the red clad heroine was already putting a wet foot on his book filled floor.

"Well hello young woman, you came just in time for dinner" He joked, knowing that she did not come for food. Ladybug never came for something so casual.

"Hello master" She greeted, closing the window and then standing awkwardly in the middle of a bunch of book pillars. He had a lot of time on that room these past months, and reading was his favorite hobby for when he was alone.

"Um, I just wanted to-" The heroine started, but interrupted herself when she heard the noise coming from the kitchen. Soon after, the young man came into the room carrying a tray full of food and tea for two.

"Oh, hey Marinette, didn't expect you, want some? There is plenty more in the kitchen" Said Luka casually, placing the tray on a table that he then slided in front of the old guardian. Ladybug chuckled and, avoiding the book towers, sat on the end of the bed across Luka.

"Are you living here now? Because I think you should at least tell your sister that you moved out" The girl tried to sound cheerful, but there was some bitterness on that comment. Fu sent a look towards the snake hero, which he promptly ignored. Luka had told him that there was no problem with him coming here. But if his sister was starting to get suspicious or worried…

"Nah, It's just these last few days, since mom is out of the city I wanted to use the chance and my free time well. I'll go back tomorrow so Juleka stops bothering you" Said the guitarist, and seeing Ladybug roll her eyes at hearing the words 'chance' and 'time' made the old man smile. It was a bit like Ladybug and Chat Noir interacting, except of course Luka didn't pun intentionally and soon enough the girl caught herself and her eyes dropped to her hands.

"What brings you here tonight ? It's been awhile since you came visit me, Ladybug" Said Fu as soon as he sensed the awkward silence gaining strength. He didn't mean to sound accusatory but the girl tightened her hands into fists on her lap after hearing his questioning anyways.

"Um, sorry, been busy… It's just, my luck" She said, sounding small and not at all like the strong Ladybug that spoke on TV every time she got interviewed. This was not the Ladybug that made everyone feel safe and that she was in control, this was Marinette, dealing with the consequences of what happened nearly a year ago, when Fu was asleep on a coma.

To the man, one day they had defeated Hawkmoth after a little crisis with Destruction's pure form, then he woke up months after in a hospital, everything changed. Chat Noir was a fugitive after Lila Rossi died in his arms, the miracle box was missing and two men escaped with miraculous that were not meant for them. Ladybug had been healing him for three months before he finally woke up, and he had been slowly recovering since then. If it wasn't for Luka keeping him busy with questions and his company, Fu was not sure how he would have dealt with the impotence he had been accumulating since waking up. Especially considering that he was still not able to leave the bed. At least he managed to get out of the hospital, those doctors almost didn't let him go, being a medical mystery and all.

"How bad is it?" Asked Luka softly after a moment of silence. The question was a bit weird, considering her luck was probably getting better and better… which was a bad thing, of course.

"I could probably get myself banned from every Casino in Europe if I wanted to" Said the girl and Fu couldn't help but chuckle. Even stressed, Marinette managed to be amusing.

"That is certainly not a good use of the miraculous power" Commented the old man, immediately getting an offended look from both of the younger heroes. So much for trying to lighten the mood. You know you screwed up when not even Luka backed up your attempts at keeping things 'chill'.

"Master! This is serious! Adrien has not reached to me in two months and our powers are getting more and more imbalanced, if my luck is this good it can only mean he is suffering worse and worse luck! What if something bad happened to him?" She started to ramble about all the horrible things that could have happened, neither him not Luka having the heart to stop her until she got too pessimistic. They both knew the girl needed to vent. It was probably the reason she came here for, even if she didn't consciously know that.

"What if he's… what if he's dead in an alley in Marseille or something, and we never hear from him again? What if i can't tell when- if that happens?" She was openly crying now, and Luka hugged her tightly so she could let it out freely, making sure she knew that neither of them would judge her.

Fu truly didn't know what was causing the imbalance. Until recently, Adrien and Marinette had been in close contact and things were starting to finally calm down, even with the trial coming closer and closer. But the problems started before Adrien sent his last letter, when Ladybug conjured one of her lucky charms to fight a criminal and got a fire gun. The girl panicked and, instead of using it on the robber she was fighting, she went to him at the hospital and threw the weapon on his lap, as if just touching it burned her.

They convinced each other that night that it was just a fluke, a weird answer of the powers to her fight with that particular criminal. She dispelled it and continued on with her life, until it happened again. And again and again. Ladybug no longer got pieces and clues of what she had to do in order to defeat an enemy or accomplish something. Instead, she was getting semi-automatics and swords, grenades and even a bazooka, once. All things that screamed 'destruction', all things that were no lucky charms.

"Master, what if we go looking for him?" Said Luka, staring at him with pleading eyes while still hugging Ladybug. The girl perked up at hearing the young man's suggestion, but he stroked her hair, a kind way of not letting her lift her head with too many hopes yet.

"You decided without me that waiting for the trial and the superhero laws first was the best plan" The man pointed out, feeling like this conversation was more for Ladybug to hear again than heading anywhere.

"Yes but that was when none of this was happening, maybe we don't have that kind of time anymore…" The guitarist was kind, letting this opening for Ladybug to finally lift her head and wipe her eyes, then join the conversation as a hero and not a distressed girl.

"I decided that" She said, as Fu predicted she would. She could cry and fear and panic, but she never made choices when she was distressed. Only when she calmed down, like now, was she able to finally think clearly and be the Ladybug that made him so proud.

"Bunnyx told me… she knows all of this and she hasn't appeared again. I trust her. But I also have a limit, master. I'm starting to doubt our initial plan of letting things solve themselves here before going for Adrien, maybe we really need to be in proximity for balance to go back to normal…" She said, her gaze jumping from him to Luka looking for reassurance. The boy was already shaking his head.

"I told you, physical distance means nothing. There had been times when Ladybugs and Chat Noirs hadn't even met with no balance problems" Said the snake hero, not really exasperated at having to repeat this bit of information so many times, just sad at not being able to make her feel better with easy lies.

"But you also told me that those times were when Chat Noirs were villains! I just don't get it! It doesn't make sense, why being a bad person with the power of a god doesn't disrupt balance, but us being away from each other does? It's not like we kept secrets or abused our powers, and we now know better than all the past heroes what happens when we go against the nature of our miraculous, why is this happening?!" There was rage on her voice now, and Luka was rendered speechless. Not just because of the intensity of her anger, but also because he had no answers to her questions.

Neither of them did.

Marinette was still angry when she arrived at her balcony. She dropped her transformation and opened her trap door, feeling Tikki silently floating behind her. The kwami probably wanted to talk to her, but she didn't want to hear yet another person telling her the same words, with the same pity in their eyes. Luka and Master Fu had ended up being completely useless, except for the fact that she at least was no longer waiting for the tears to flow, just enraged.

The girl stood in the middle of her room, only lit by moonlight as the sky finally cleared, and sighed. She knew she was being unfair. Everyone tried their best to support her, doing what they can to continue with their flimsy plan and hoping for Adrien to be alright. It was almost funny how, if it wasn't for the detail of her boyfriend being a fugitive, her life would be perfect right now. Just her luck, she thought grimly as she sat down and started playing with the dice again.

"Marinette… " Tikki whispered in a concerned tone while floating in front of her, blocking her view of the cubes in her desk. It was probably two snake eyes staring at her again anyways.

"Sorry Tikki… I just hate feeling like my hands are tied" She said, closing her eyes.

The vivid memory of that night at the gala reappeared in her mind. Her eyes blurry with tears as she watched Adrien's disbelieving face. Lila's corpse on his feet, the paramedic who just announced her demise giving space to the rest of his team to cover her body with a plastic sheet. The police gathering around, communicating with their superiors, still unsure of what to do. And Bunnyx, at the distance in the shadows, positioned in a place where only someone from Ladybug's place in the stairs could spot her.

Adrien ran before anyone could react in time to catch him, his head only looking at the floor and his feet as he passed right beside the time heroine. Marinette remembered that longing that she still felt, that strong need to forget everything and everyone else, even Tikki who was still unconscious inside the venue, and follow him. She even remembered taking the first step, ignoring Adriens previous look, imploring her to not go with him. But then Bunnyx did the same, stopping her for a second time.

Ladybug, be transformed but still in her gown and mask covering her crying eyes, froze in the steps as she watched the police finally mobilize to try and capture the love of her life. A boy who just won a fight but lost almost everything else, who had bad luck and was scared and alone and hadn't eaten since lunch that day. She just stood there, taking the silent advice of someone who knew the future, trusting her.

Do not follow. That's the only clue Bunnyx, their last resort, left for her, if it could even be considered that.

Marinette opened her eyes, frowning. How long was that 'advice' valid for anyways? Why did people that knew time stuff always had to be so cryptic? Was the point to make her doubt, to let her become so unsure of her own choices that it was almost like she had no reassurance that everything would be alright in the end at all? Maybe. Or maybe she was overthinking, it didn't matter.

Marinette was sure of one thing, at least. She was tired of waiting.


	2. On the other end

Simon, also known by most people as 'the gorilla', rubbed his hands together, trying to keep them warm as he walked. The northern airs of Saint-Malo were cool enough without this winter being labeled one of the most extreme the continent had in years. Luckily for him it stopped raining a couple hours ago, otherwise his search would be a lot more frantic than it already was.

Adrien was late for dinner, again. Any other year and the bodyguard wouldn't stress *this* much about the boy being away from his sight, but their situation being what it was, he couldn't afford any gap between their agreed time to meet at the hotel and the boy actually showing up. Usually Adrien was very punctual, an important thing when the police and two superpowered men were after you, but today he was an hour late, so Simon had to go out in the cold and search for him.

As he looked around, the huge man also paid attention to the tiny earpiece he wore. The radio was as good as any other source of information in case the police knew something. It already happened a couple times that he had been able to locate the boy by listening to official information about a certain cat hero running on roofs. The gorilla knew that most of the time that Adrien was away, he was transformed into his alter ego, usually chasing off criminals or simply exploring. Simon already gave up on trying to convince the boy that fighting crime could wait until everything calmed down a little, that being a hero was not worth risking their safety. It only took one look of disappointment and stubbornness to help him understand that, whether he approved or not, Chat Noir would keep working.

"Pardon" Someone whispered after colliding with the bodyguard , then the smaller man continued on his way while Simon frowned as he watched him go.

Not a lot of people were outside at this hour and with this cold, and Simon had a propensity for paranoia, so making sure he didn't get anything stolen or that the man wasn't suspicious made him stop on his search for a moment. He was about to keep moving when he heard a faint 'pst' sound coming from the one alley he missed checking because of the small distraction. The man squinted and noticed the two green orbs floating in the dark, then as realization dawned on him he entered the dark alleyway.

"For once I'm lucky, you stopped right where I needed you" Said Chat Noir with a grin. The bodyguard wasn't so sure about that being a luck thing… if he hadn't collided with the man, he would have looked into the alley anyways. In fact, he almost missed him… Simon shook his head then regarded the hero closely.

The boy was acting as if nothing was wrong, but Simon immediately noticed how he was leaning too much on one of the alleys wall's, avoiding to put his weight on one of his legs. The man frowned and pointed at the cat's foot, knowing that he would be able to see the gesture even in this darkness.

"Oh, that…I was running around the rooftops and I kinda slipped? It was silly but I'm fine. It's probably nothing, but it kinda explains why I was late?..." The boy sighed "Sorry" He finished speaking. It was like he didn't bother to properly act nonchalant anymore, doubt making its way into his tone the more he spoke.

Simon shook his head and gruntled softly, then gave his back to the boy and waited for him to climb. He watched the green light with the corner of his vision as the hero turned into a normal seventeen year old boy, then started walking towards their hotel carrying him. Adrien trembled, the insulation provided by the magic suit no longer protecting him from the cold. Simon wasn't sure how good of an idea was to come to this particular corner of the country in the middle of winter.

"This place is surprisingly full of drunk people, I had to stop two fights and it's not even that late yet" The boy started chatting. He never did much before, when they were just a model and his bodyguard. Simon grunted.

"You are right, it's friday… I keep losing track. Hey we should go drinking too one of these days" He joked.

Adrien kept talking, pretending to know what the man's quiet sounds and grumbles meant. Simon kept making them, knowing that it helped the boy feel less alone. It wasn't usually that bad, only the two of them (And the little ball of cheese-loving sarcasm that was Plagg) together, but these last two months proved that the bodyguard not being able to talk was not exactly helpful in keeping a teenager isolated from his friends from feeling lonely. Ever since Adrien saw one of the agents watching him as he was about to send one of his letters to Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the need for him to chat just increased in proportion with his paranoia.

Simon noded in greeting to the hotel's receptionist who just raised an eyebrow at the sight of them, then put Adrien down once they were in the elevator. There weren't that many floors in the building, but it had one anyways. Thankfully, because the boy flinched once his left foot touched the floor and strong as Simon was, he was grateful for not having to carry him upstairs.

"What's for dinner anyways?" Asked the ex-model, taking the chance of having his two hands again to pull down his hoodie. It was custom for him now to keep it up, covering most of his face and his hair even though he dyed it black to conceal his identity. Simon grunted in answer as he opened the door to their rooms.

"My favorite!" Well, at least his humor was intact, thought the bodyguard with a small smile as he entered the place. It was a two bed suite, small but neat and cozy. A tray with food was in the nightstand of one of the beds, probably already cold.

Adrien limped towards it and, sitting on the bed, grabbed a plate from the tray and started eating. Plagg came out of hiding seconds later and grabbed a piece of cheese. The gorilla closed the door, took his coat out then joined the boy and the kwami. They ate quietly, the silence not being awkward in the slightest, at least not anymore. Adrien finished first, but before he made any attempt at moving from his sitting position in the bed, simon grunted, then pointed at the boy's foot again.

"It's nothing, I'll take a shower" Said Adrien, ignoring the worried stare the man was giving him as he stood up then limped towards the bathroom.

When he heard the shower start running, Simon sighed loudly, shoulders dropping. After ten months of this, he was starting to think that they should just head back to Paris, even if it was for a little while. The bodyguard was no expert, and he certainly wasn't informed enough about magic and supernatural forces to make an educated guess, but he was convinced more and more as time passed that Adrien needed his city, his friends and his hero partner. He hadn't been long enough in this world to become superstitious, but he knew that black cats were supposed to be bad luck. Every time something like this happened, Simon had the feeling it was not a coincidence, especially since it seemed to be occurring more and more.

If he could talk, he would ask the floating tiny cat that was right now finishing Adrien's leftovers. The little god never seemed to be too concerned, giving his attention to cheese and the tv most of the time.

"What? Want some?" Asked Plagg once he noticed that Simon had been staring for a bit too long. The two of them usually didn't communicate all that much, with the bodyguard not being able to talk and the god not bothering with pretending he understood what his grunts meant, like Adrien did. Today though, Plagg joined in with the sighs, probably thinking the same things Simon was.

"His ankle is sprained, you should take a look, even if he says it's nothing" Said the kwami, dropping his usual demeanor of uncaring cheerfulness. The man nodded in response.

Simon stood up and went to the other side of the room, where he kept his things. He started searching in his bag for the medic kit he always carried when he remembered that it never made it back there from the other night. Adrien had scraped his hands on another fall and he had left the kit in his nightstand.

As the man went back to sit on his bed to wait for the boy with the kit ready, he realized how terribly fitting the phrase "Death by a thousand cuts" was to Adrien's awful luck these past months. It was almost even litteral, thought Simon bitterly as he saw the boy coming out, already in his pajamas. Adrien held his gaze for a second, then gave in to his silent request. The boy sat down in the bed and the gorilla started inspecting his left foot.

"It's fine, just need to rest it a bit" Said the not so blond anymore teenager, but when Simon moved his ankle a bit he couldn't help but flinch. The man lifted an eyebrow as he looked up again, skeptical, but remembered that recriminating him would lead them nowhere. So he just bandaged his foot so it wouldn't move much and went to the bathroom to take a shower himself.

"You should tell Ladybug about this" Simon heard Plagg say, the thin walls not protecting their conversation from his ears. The cat probably didn't care that he listened, though.

"About my ankle?" Teased Adrien, one last attempt at avoiding the topic.

"You know what I mean"

"I can't risk her safety, you know that"

"It was just that one time, they can't track every single letter you send to her! Or go downstairs and use the computer!" The frustration on the kwamis voice was a mirror to what Simon was feeling almost everyday now.

There was a moment of silence, the gorilla imagined the boy and the god used it to hold a little staring contest.

"I won't risk her identity and her life just because I've been a little unlucky lately" Said Adrien bitterly. Plagg let out half a syllable and got interrupted "I will be careful. More careful… just, I can't do that to her, you know I can't, Plagg"

"But you can leave her hanging, not knowing if you are even still alive" Quipped Plagg, his tone pure sarcasm.

It was Adrien's turn to grunt now "I'll figure out a way to contact her… just… I don't want those two near Marinette, ok?"

That was a sentiment Simon was all too familiar with, protectiveness… It didn't make it rational, though, just because he empathized with Adrien's need to keep Marinette away from danger. The man wasn't even sure if he should be dealing alone with the two adult miraculous wielders that were constantly on their tails. Again, he was no expert, but it seemed that being a grown up was a big advantage when it came to the magic jewels. Maybe the boy's plan was to stall long enough for that advantage to disappear...

One thing was certain, though. Time was not their friend. And neither was luck.

Antoine liked to think of himself as a cold hearted, logic-driven man. He pried on being able to carry on with his missions without flinching, his only worry being what he had to do next in order to get paid. In the back of his mind, who that money went to was always a presence, but he was getting better and better at ignoring them and just moving on, he had to. Only in the rare times when he was totally idle, the image of a black haired woman and three beautiful triplets appeared in his mind's eye, but he shooed it away before guilt reminded him that they would not approve of his... activities. He hadn't talked to them in the five long years he'd been working with Mister M. and he wasn't going to start all of a sudden now because some doubt was finally making settlements in his cold heart.

If only that stupid little girl hadn't died, her limp form in the floor, as he saw her after the gala in the news, looking all too familiar to him. He knew it was a possibility as soon as he heard her coughing and getting worse, but his job wasn't protecting kids from hurting themselves with things they shouldn't even be playing with. His job was to take their toys away, get his cash, and send it to the only people he could afford to care about. At thirty six, Antoine, lately known as Agent A., really was too late to be having these lessons in empathy thrown at him.

The stupid butterfly miraculous didn't help. It was supposed to be a tool to make his job easier, but as he walked around the turistic northern town of Saint-Malo, the feelings and emotions of everyone around him swarmed his brain, uninvited. He could always take it off, as he did when he received the jewel from Lila Rossi to pretend to work for her so she would give them the information they needed at the time, but if he did he wouldn't be able to track the particular teenager he had to locate.

For all the crap that happened to him lately, Adrien Agreste wasn't even all that angsty or emotional. It was as if the boy was used to misery, which Antoine seriously doubted, considering the privileged upbringing the brat had before the last year. Sure, his mommy was gone, but he had friends, family, money and even fame, his father being a supervillain likely to face the death penalty and having all his commodities taken away from him should make him more easily detectable than he currently was.

And that was the hardest part for Antoine, really. The moments when he actually picked up on the boys emotions, therefore knowing his approximate location. The brief moments when he had to share said feelings were the worst, the agent hated how much he actually related to Adrien Agreste. His need to run away from the ones he loved in order to protect them, his determination to keep doing his job in the face of danger, his shame for all the mistakes he did in the past... Antoine's own convictions faltering each time he connected with the ex-model were becoming something worse than a headache. He was actually starting to doubt he could finish this job. And that was forbidden.

His partner's shadiness and obsessive behavior in this particular mission was no help either. Agent T. was walking a couple steps ahead of him, far enough so they weren't forced to talk and pretend they knew each other so it didn't look weird, but close enough so that there wouldn't be any delay in their reactions should something happen. They knew the cat was in this town, they just had to find him, and that usually entailed following a crime being committed in real time, for the hero never failed to show up when that happened.

T. was as much a mystery to Antoine as a lot of other things regarding the organization they both worked for. He knew mister M. was some sort of collectionist, a rich man interested in special artifacts who stopped at nothing to get them. The miraculous became his interest the moment that temple suddenly reappeared in Tibet. Before that, Antoine's missions were less than legal and usually involved some sort of violence. This, though… dealing with superpowered kids, jewels that could give him, a less than worthy man, the same powers, that little creature that he had to feed each time he used said abilities… he knew that this was weird enough without his partner apparent lack of curiosity and, well, concern, regarding them.

And what was even more frustrating, the younger man (Antoine was sure T. was probably not even thirty yet) was the one that received all of their instructions. He was the link between himself and the rest of the organization, Antoine being too new apparently to be trusted with more information than necessary. And there was more information, the older agent was not naive, he knew he wouldn't (And probably shouldn't, honestly) be trusted with all the schemes his boss had going on, and he usually didn't let curiosity get in the way of getting paid, but little things were adding up to become a mountain of reasons why he was doubting his involvement in all of this.

In front of him, agent T. stopped briefly then, not even looking back at him, entered a cozy looking café. Antoine followed him, realizing that their search for the day was probably already over.

"His fall must have been worse than we thought, he must be bundled up somewhere" Said T. in a half whisper before Antoine could even sit down in front of him.

A friendly looking girl came to tend their table, T. ordered coffee for both of them then continued talking.

"Anything on your end?" Asked the man, his permanent frown directed at him now.

"Nope, our boy must be sleeping already" It certainly was a possibility, given how they themselves witnessed Chat Noir falling from a rooftop. The cat hero had been chasing a robber that ran on the streets and both agents were tailing him, planning to strike once the fight started. But it never did, and the two men were too far away (Avoiding being detected) to locate him once they lost sight of the hero.

"Here is your coffee, let me know if you need anything else" Said the girl smiling as she deposited two mugs in the table. Her gaze stood longer than needed on T. then left. Antoine raised an eyebrow.

"You should talk to her" He suggested, smirking as the scowl on the younger man deepend. He never showed any interest in anything other than the job, but the older man was pretty sure T. was not immune to beautiful people either. Maybe girls were not his thing.

"Tomorrow we will go for the hotels again, he must be in one of the more expensive ones" T. changed the subject.

They had 'scanned' most hotels and lodgings when they reached the town that morning, but Adrien must have gotten a lot more money out than they thought, if he was still able to afford the ones they didn't check because, well, they were stupidly expensive. Surely he must be becoming more wary of how he uses his reserves after a year of running away, right?. Then again, the emotional radar was not perfect, so he could have slipped away or been somewhere else other than his room when they went checking most of the rational options. There was a reason why this was taking so damn long. What Antoine didn't get is why were they chasing a single miraculous, when everyone on the planet knew that Paris was still the home of the rest of the heroes. Not to mention the entire freaking box they failed to retrieve from Lila Rossi.

His partner finished his mug and immediately called for the bill. The girl was still smiling, but Antoine could see she had already given up on trying to talk to the younger agent by the way she kept her professionalism up this time. A pity, he thought, another chance to see T. act like a proper human being, gone. That was his main source of amusement these past years, but it was becoming clear that the younger man was even more passionate about their job than Antoine was. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing. Not that he cared, but maybe he should.

They left the café and took different roads. They never shared lodging, not because of some compelling work reason but because they had this tacit agreement of not talking to each other about much other than their work, Antoine's little provocations notwithstanding. Before losing sight of his partner, however, a faint ringing came from his winter coat. Antoine knew that the only people that he ever talked to were their superiors. The older agent pretended to turn his corner, then checked that T. had done the same with his before quickly following him.

He wasn't sure why his curiosity finally took a hold of him, but this was a chance he rarely had to get some answers, and he decided to take it. The moth wielder hid himself from the sight of his partner as he took the call, thankfully not moving farther away down the alley.

"We are closer than befo-…yes...I know… I know, father! … you can send others to Paris, I want the cat!, just give me a bit more time and I'll get you all of them, alright?... I need him to- can you stop interrupting me? I know you are the boss of this whole shitshow, but I need Antoine so I can track the cat, I have a plan, ok? I need that jewell before I go for the rest, they won't leave Paris… if you are in such a hurry maybe you should send more agents- " Antoine couldn't hear the voice on the other end of that conversation, but he could tell by T.'s frustrated hanging up that it was becoming too heated for his tolerance. He heard the younger man groan in frustration.

The whole thing sounded like a repeated occurrence more than a new dialogue between his partner and what he could only assume was Mister M. … his partners father. Well, he certainly discovered something with his sudden need for answers. T. started walking away when Antoine heard a tiny voice on his ear.

"Ohhh what are you going to do now?" Said the purple kwami, he sounded honestly concerned about this whole thing even though the creature knew even less than Antoine did.

"What are you doing out? Get back inside before anyone sees you!" He whispered brusquely, getting up from his hiding spot. He looked around, but the street was almost deserted now. It was not even that late, but the recent rain, the cold and the high tides kept most people inside their homes or the various cafés and bars.

Usually the kwami never even talked to him except to remind him that he had to eat. Apparently his sudden change of behavior picked the creature's interest too. He sighed.

"I've been working with my boss's son this whole time, no wonder our mission doesn't make sense. Yet another rich boy who doesn't know when to stop playing with dangerous toys" He muttered, certain that the purple creature was able to hear him. The night was weird already, might as well talk to someone about it.

"I just hope I get paid well for this, babysitting was not in my job description" He said bitterly after a while, no reply coming from the kwami.

Antoine knew that, with the dragon miraculous, T. was more than capable of taking care of himself even if he really wasn't a trained agent. In their mission before this one, he never noticed the younger man slipping up other than to become overly emotional sometimes. But he never was this attached to one particular artifact like he seemed to be with the cat miraculous, either.

He should probably just stop thinking too much and concentrate on finding Adrien. If he kept letting his curiosity get the best of him, his prided cold heart could end up melting once again. And he was already suffering the consequences of that.


	3. Go home

The saturday morning at Saint-Malo felt just as cold as the night before. As soon as Adrien opened his eyes, he looked out the window. The gorilla forgot to close the curtains the night before, and outside was just as cloudy and dark as yesterday. The ex-model let out a sigh and got up. His bodyguard and his kwami were still sleeping, but the teenager knew it wouldn't take too long or too much noise from him to wake them up.

He slowly put his feet on the carpeted floor of the hotel and carefully put pressure on his injured ankle. Not too bad, he cheerfully thought, knowing that if he could stand to walk as Adrien, then Chat Noir would have no problems doing his business today. He would have to leave this town soon probably, they already spent almost a week at the place and though he still hadn't detected the agents or vice versa, it didn't mean they weren't close. But he couldn't move out when he knew there was a criminal like last night's running around, either.

Adrien frowned as he started selecting his clothes for today out of his bag. Before he stupidly tripped on a roof when a tile slipped under his feet, he was chasing a man who minutes before attempted to rape a young girl. Had he been a purse robber or some petty criminal, Chat Noir could leave it to the police with a warning note or something, but seeing what he saw, the hero was not going to leave Saint-Malo with a monster like that free. After his fall, he had lost sight both of the man and any possible route he might have taken, as no one else was chasing but him. He should have warned the officers… but those didn't like him much.

It wasn't like the police force was actively looking for him, they definitely were doing a lazy attempt at locating him at best. Adrien didn't know if it was because something happened in Paris that finally cleared his name, or because they simply knew they couldn't capture a superhero. The teen prefered to think it was the first option, but he wasn't naive. Last thing he read about about this particular topic on the Ladyblog was that most civilians truly believed that Chat Noir had nothing to do with Lila Rossi's death, but that the justice system still wanted him for possibly protecting his terrorist of a father. They had a theory that it was actually Lila's mother, a powerful Italian politician, who was pulling strings to get him...

''What's for breakfast?'' Asked Plagg's sleepy voice behind him, interrupting his thoughts. The tiny cat floated over his shoulder and then just slumped there, too lazy to move on his own.

''Good morning Plagg'' Said Adrien smiling. He used a finger to rub the kwami's head, knowing full well that Plagg both loved and hated the petting.

''Arghh, stop stop!'' Exclaimed the god, giving up on staying on the boy's shoulder.

They had this silly contest going on, Adrien wanted to hear Plagg purring and tried to find what kind of petting would make him do it, but the cat was too proud and stubborn to admit that he actually liked the affection, so he avoided taking it for too long.

A grunt came from behind them and Adrien knew the gorilla was awake. He gave him a morning greeting too then the three of them started getting ready for the day. Though to be fair, there wasn't much to be ready for. Simon usually didn't go out like Adrien did, his big frame being too easily recognizable, and Plagg didn't have any business to attend to other than eating cheese and keep him transformed.

''I think we should leave this town tomorrow, maybe tonight?'' Suggested the teen when they were eating breakfast. It was early enough that the gorilla was able to go get a trail for the room himself without being spotted by more people than necessary.

The man grunted in approval, Plagg just ignored them and kept eating.

''But I need to find the guy I was chasing yesterday, so give me today to track him'' He didn't necessarily need the bodyguards approval to do anything, but he liked to have it anyways.

Besides that, the man needed to know what his plans were, or he would go crazy. He had tried lying to him already and it ended up with Adrien crawling back to the hotel at an unsightly hour only to find Simon bullying people with a sign that said ´´Have you seen this teen?´´ along with a picture of how he looked right now.

The gorilla obviously didn't like his plan for the day, but he just sighed instead of trying to write a warning or something on his pad. Adrien had bought him the tablet so the man could make himself understood, but he rarely used it for some reason, opting to grunt and use body language instead.

Before leaving, the teen looked at himself in the mirror and noticed his roots were starting to be noticeable again.

''I'll have to buy more dye…'' He commented. Simon approached him and pointed at himself, nodding.

''You'll do it?'' The man nodded. ''Ok, just make sure its black and not red this time, please'' He teased, the bodyguard only rolling his eyes as he grabbed a newspaper and sat back on his bed, deeming the conversation over.

''Let's go Plagg''

While he walked on the cold saturday morning, Adrien wondered what Marinette was doing, feeling the instant guilt that ate at him everytime he thought of her in the past months. It wasn't like he didn't want to send her letters again, or even an email or something. He just convinced himself that it was for her safety that he couldn't do so. The hero no longer believed that those two agents, T. and A., worked for the government as he did before, when they introduced themselves. That had obviously been a plot to make them give up their miraculous, he realized in hindsight.

But that didn't mean they weren't dangerous, crafty, and that they might have more people behind curtains working on getting the source of his powers. So he couldn't carry a phone, avoided the internet like the plague and stopped sending letters to Marinette. He knew he was being irrational, that there was no way they could have someone searching all correspondence or whatever is that spies do these days. But he just couldn't afford to ruin Marinette's life like his is, he'd rather deal with the guilt of leaving her in the dark for a while.

But it was getting hard. He wanted to tell her so many things, and more importantly, wanted to her to tell him so many more. That last part was what he missed the most, as the girl was not able to reply to his letters so he didn't even know what she thought of them. They had only talked once since his departure, when he got close enough to Paris that the communication in their hero suits worked again. It had been a glorious two days of non stop talking, but that had been eight months ago.

After that, he only dared to use a computer once, he stalked all of his friends social media to see how they were doing, and was happy to see that Marinette had been drawing so much, that her and Chloe seemed to be friends now and that Ladybug and her team were still patrolling the Parisian streets. Then again, people usually only posted good things, keeping the bad news to themselves unless they needed attention… and Adrien knew that the kind of bad news his friends would have would require anything but attention from the public.

He stopped a little bit and looked up to the sky, the task made easier by the clouds obscuring the whole town. The feeling of nostalgia was almost overwhelming.

''There's gonna be a big storm today'' A man commented besides him, making the teen jump a little at the sudden exchange, startled.

''Ah- yeah, looks like it'' He said, still getting over the tiny scare.

The elderly man smiled at him, then said ''Bad day to run around, kid'' then patted his shoulder and continued with his walk, opposite to the direction Adrien was going. How did these small town grampa's always seemed to know more than they let on? Wondered the ex-model, smiling as he watched him go.

''He's right, we should go back to the hotel and order a nice, smelly, grungy wheel of camembert'' Said Plagg from inside his hoodie. Adrien shook his head, still smiling.

''You would want to do that even if it was sunny, Plagg''

''And you wouldn't listen to me even if we were in the middle of a blizzard'' Retorted the kwami, but they both knew this was a pointless argument.

Chat Noir had work to do, thought the teen as he was nearing the place were he last saw the criminal. He picked a deserted corner to transform out of the public eye, though not many people were around this early with this weather, then jumped onto the roofs.

The cat smelled the saline air, and looked down the street, searching for clues. Time to track a pest.

These idiots were defacing Chat Noir's statue, again. Nino was so tired of this shit.

It was almost 6 A.M., the moment he was allowed to crawl out of his cave and finally get breakfast, and this happens. Of course it happened on a saturday morning, when he should be having food after a whole night of working on his music and catching up with homework. Of course it was so stupidly cold that even the insulation that his magical suit provided was not enough. Of course it was the same imbeciles that did this last time.

''Hey! Wasn't that night in jail enough of a lesson?!'' He screamed at the assholes as they ran away, forgetting his paint cans and other instruments on the scene.

Carapace was not the fastest of superheroes, in fact, he was probably the slowest. But that didn't mean he wasn't faster than a bunch of high dumbasses. He caught them fast enough, then did the usual routine of knocking them out and piling them up in front of the police station. This time he took one of the paints and sprayed their jackets with cute red dots, that would teach them.

He went back to the main plaza, where the Ladybug and Chat Noir's statues were being cleaned up, though only the cat needed it. He caught a glimpse of the jerks ''art'' before it was removed. Most were infuriating messages like ''Murderer'' and ''Not a hero'' and other, more obscene, insults for his best friend. There were a couple dicks and even a terribly misshapen swastika. Carapace shook his head, those idiots were older than he was, and yet they couldn't even spell ''Terrorist'' right. Also,the irony of their actions juxtaposed to their ''message'' seemed to escape them completely. Typical.

''Any words, Carapace?'' A small time reporter was already in the scene, his cameraman was filming the crew that formed to clean the statue. Mostly volunteers.

''I usually like graffiti art but this is just trash'' He said dryly. The man snorted, but didn't take the mic off his face yet.

''Anything for these kind people that are cleaning here?'' Carapace looked over the crew, which by the most part just kept to themselves, ignoring the camera. They were not the same people that did this last time, he noted.

''Thank you'' He said earnestly. Words were not his thing, and lying even less, so he preferred to be brief in interviews as to avoid ''spoiling'' things out that he shouldn't. He already made the mistake once of admitting he was Chat Noir's bff, forgetting that people already knew his identity. Alya saved him quickly by subtly adding that their hero team was very close, even if they didn't know who each other was.

The reporter nodded then continued with his note on the incident. Carapace looked up to the statue of his missing friend in the face one more time before leaving. It was a really good imitation, but he really wanted the real Adrien to be back already.

''Miss Bourgeois! Miss Bourgeois! What do you think about Chat Noir's statue being defaced yet again this morning?'' A reporter asked, finally catching the attention of the blonde who was just trying to go inside her home.

''They what?!'' She couldn't help but blurt out, stopping and facing the couple of paparazzi and reporters that were following her since she left the car.

The woman didn't immediately answer Chloe, so the teen girl just rolled her eyes, muttered ''Useless'' Then finally went inside Le Grand Paris.

Butler Jean was waiting for her with her favorite morning smoothie. She had just gone to the park to jog, but no amount of her having the most boring and normal life ever saved her from the annoying paparazzi. And to think that a couple years ago she would have enjoyed this part of being famous the most. How ridiculous she had been.

''Anything else for breakfast?'' Asked Jean, taking back her glass after she gulped the liquid in a second.

She thought for a moment, then said: ''Bring me something from the Dupain-Cheng's boulangerie, will you please?''. The man nodded then took off to probably order someone else to get her her pastries.

Chloe went upstairs to her private rooms, ignoring everyone and anyone that tried to converse with her in the way. She was not in the mood. As soon as she was alone, she took her phone and looked for the morning news. She let out a groan as she saw that some idiots had, in fact, defaced Adrikins statue again.

''These idiots, if I had my powers I'd-''

''You would what?'' Viperion interrupted her, also making her jump slightly at his sudden presence.

She paused a bit before answering just to properly glare at him, not even bothering anymore on scolding him for startling her. His stupid little smirk when he did that was a good exchange price anyways.

''I would Venom them all and make them stay all night in the snow, waiting for the police to see them next to their shitty art'' She said, making the snake hero chuckle.

He de-transformed then lounged in one of her couches. ''You know that could potentially kill them, right?'' He teased, closing his eyes as he laid there.

''What are you, a hobo? Why are you sleeping on my sofá?'' She asked, not really bothered by his presence. On the contrary, her saturday morning would have probably spiraled down to her insulting people in the comment section of the news site if he didn't show up.

''I'm not sleeping, I'm just closing my eyes so you can change from your sweaty sportswear'' He said with another smug smirk. She snorted. Who replaced her sweet musician with a shameless voyeur?

''As if'' She teased. ''I need a shower anyways'' She watched as he was about to open his mouth again. ''Don't! say you need one too… '' Though he probably did.

''Witch'' He whispered, then relaxed in the couch again, smile still plastered on his face.

She came out with towels covering both her hair and wrapped around her body. Chloe diverted her path towards her closet to peek at Luka's face. He was actually sleeping now, the idiot. Well, his loss. She changed into her usual fashion then, grabbing her notebook, sat down on another one of the couches.

She did her usual routine of checking the Ladyblog first, and no surprise to anyone, the new attack on Chat Noir's statue was already posted. Alya's words were harsh towards the idiots who did it, so the blonde didn't feel the need to add anything else. She sighed. At least no one would think it was weird that Adrien's school friends would defend him, now that Chat Noir's legal problems were almost over and his image clean for the most part.

It had been a tough fight, but in the end there was absolutely no evidence condemning the cat for the death of Lila Rossi. The autopsy was confusing for the forensic team, but eventually they figured out that what caused her demise had nothing to do with Chat Noir's powers. Even in the videos of the whole scene at the end of the Easter gala fight it was obvious that Adrien hadn't meant for that to happen. The only person that was still publicly demonizing the hero was Lila's mother, diplomat Gianna Rossi.

But the government still wanted the cat, to help testify in the Hawkmoth case. Chloe had been close to all these proceedings, first out of her need to help her friends and team, as the only other person whose identity was already out. But then she discovered that she liked doing it. Learning from the fiscals about what would the authorities do about super powered people, talking to important people about the future of superheroes. Discovering that her words could help shape her friends (And boyfriend's) futures was one of the best things that had happened to her these last months.

Chloe always thought that she would be like her mom, working on the fashion industry and making criticizing other people's work her career. It turned out, she actually much prefered to take a path closer to her father's, where her decisions and words could potentially fix problems instead of just pointing them out. And she liked ordering people around.

''What's for lunch?'' Luka's voice said from the couch in front of her. His eyes were still close, but he got tired of pretending to sleep. Which was kind of ironic.

''Who invited you?'' She retorted, not taking her eyes from the computer on her lap.

''I sneaked in'' Chloe groaned, rolling her eyes.

''I'm sorry but the pun idiot role is already taken in the team'' She said, not able to stop herself this time from seeing his face.

Luka was still lying there, but his teal eyes were looking at her now. She noticed something, but had to squint to make sure her eyes were not lying.

''You got another piercing?!'' She exclaimed, closing her notebook and leaving it on the side to get a closer look at his face.

Luka just shrugged, smiling at her. She grabbed his ear and saw closely that he had, indeed, now three piercings in there instead of two. It was the same black material as the other ones, at least. No skulls yet, she thought with relief.

''Do you hate it?'' He asked once she let his ear go. She sat on a pillow closer to his couch instead of going back to her computer.

''If I hated it, you would know'' She simply said. She didn't particularly care for piercings and other body modifications, but she didn't really hate them either. And on her boyfriend? Everything looked good, though she would never admit that to anyone… else.

''Just don't tattoo your face, please'' She said that as a joke every time he got something new done, and he liked to keep her thinking that he still might. But he hadn't started with the tattoos yet. She would know first, with how much they were seeing each other.

''Ohh say that again! I like it when you are all polite'' He teased.

''You are in a strange mood today, anything happened? Why are you here so early and not with Fu or at your own home? Have you even been there since your mom left?'' She questioned him, the teasing and pretending she didn't care done for today.

Luka paused a moment, then sighed, his head falling back into the couch again. She grabbed a lock of his teal-dyed hair and started playing with it. He had gotten half of his head shaved, a haircut she thought it looked silly until she saw it on him.

''Marinette came last night to talk to Fu. She's still having problems with her powers and her luck just keeps getting better, which mean Adrien's getting worse. I'm starting to think that he shouldn't be out there without his team and his other half, maybe we could have hid him long enough for the arrest orders to stop'' Luka kept rambling on about the whole situation which all of them already knew by heart. Chloe more than anyone, probably, since it was her who was dealing with the civilian part of the problem. She was the only one who had visited Gabriel Agreste, too.

They both knew why things were like this, Bunnyx had warned Ladybug that night that she shouldn't follow Adrien. Then the boy was gone, and since no one had been able to catch him in all this time, none of them could have done it either, even if they wanted. Then Marinette shared some of the letters, to keep everyone calm. And they had chatted, too, apparently, for two days before he had to move again. He was with the gorilla, and was the best at sneaking around among them. He should be fine. That didn't meant they didn't worry.

''And on top of that, Fu still can't move much, so I'm basically his maid, which I don't mind, it's not like I have a lot of work to do right now, but I want us both to go to Tibet sometime soon, but he doesn't want Marinette to keep healing him! Everyone is so stubborn…'' Her boyfriend kept on venting as she played with his hair.

''So you haven't been home'' She commented when he was done.

''No… Juleka probably doesn't want me there, anyways'' Said Luka, sadness filling his voice.

''She doesn't want ME in there, not you, dumbass. She's been asking people in class if they have seen you, she's worried'' Said Chloe. She knew Juleka didn't like her, and that had been the only sour thing about their relationship so far, but there was not much else the blond could do to amend it. She also knew Luka hated lying to his sister, though.

''I can't lie to her, Clo… I see how much she despises me being with you, yet I can't tell her why you are wonderful, she thinks you are deceiving people, pretending to be nice. She doesn't know what you have done and continue doing… '' He left the words hanging, both of them knew where that idea landed. There was no guarantee that Juleka would approve of Chloe even if she knew all their secrets.

''Then tell her, you are the guardian'' She said, tired of this topic. It was one thing for others to hate her when she deserved it, but now that she desperately wanted for someone to accept her, getting rejected hurted too much to bear talking about for long.

They remained in silent, as they always did when their conversation reached this point. Luka wouldn't just reveal all the heroes secrets so that his sister would accept his girlfriend. It was too... unprofessional, but at the same time it was eating at him slowly.

''Go home'' She said after a while with a kindness few people have heard coming from Chloe Bourgeois.

She kissed him in the lips and got up, then went back to her computer.

.-*¨¨*-._.-*¨¨*-._.-*¨¨

Hey! If you are enjoying this, make sure to also check some of the fanart I've made both for Catacylsm and this part.

Search for BrassLass on Tumblr and you will find it!


	4. Her luck, his luck

Marinette woke up that saturday morning and decided she was not going to play with luck today.

Tikki never said out loud that she shouldn't do it, but her look everytime she took the dice out was all the girl needed to know that the kwami didn't think it was a productive activity, and she was right. She already knew things were getting worse without a numerical confirmation of their progress towards unbalance. It only made her feel desperate and frustrated, which culminated in scenes like the one she put up last night. She couldn't help but feel a bit of shame at her outburst with the guardians, even if it was exactly what she needed at the moment.

She barely visited Master Fu these days, not for any specific reason, just time flying by, but Marinette hated how it made her look that the times she did, it was to let out her frustrations on the man. She sighed, then looked at Tikki's still sleeping form, her alarm clock duties not active on the weekends. The teenager had all the support she needed, from her parents, her friends and her kwami. She just needed to figure out how to use it other than as shoulders to cry on.

''Hey Tikki'' She quietly said, hoping that the tiny red god would be half awake and not in deep slumber.

''Yes, Marinette?'' To the girl's relief, Tikki didn't sound like someone who just woke up, her voice clear though she kept her eyes closed for a good moment before finally opening them.

Marinette met the kwami's gaze for a bit, unsure of her next words.

''I want to go look for Adrien'' She finally said. Tikki didn't seem one bit surprised at hearing that. The tiny creature was thoughtful for a couple of seconds before answering.

''I don't think it's a bad idea…''

''But?'' There was always a but.

''But you have classes, Ladybug needs to be in Paris or we might lose the public's approval again, and you don't even know where to start looking. It could take months''

Marinette let out an even louder sigh. She already knew all of that. Classes were important, not because she cared that much about her grades (She already knew she didn't need them to pursue her career, anyways) but because it would be weird that Marinette AND Ladybug disappeared at the same time. Her classmates knew her enough that connecting the dots would be easy for them at this point, if some of them hadn't done it already but decided to keep quiet.

And she was so, so tired of keeping up her perfect heroine image while working without her partner. She hated that it was ''Ladybug and her team'' now instead of ''Ladybug and Chat Noir'', even though she loved her just felt wrong, no matter how silly it was to get bothered by a name. It was a stupid name though, specially knowing that she was the one that was out the least these days. She hadn't summoned a Lucky charm in months, only using her yoyo and her fighting skills to subdue criminals. But she knew that Paris had to see Ladybug out there. She had to keep their reputation clean for when Chat finally came back, as there were still some people that would use any excuse to make sure there would be no more heroes. She couldn't have that happening. Not with the box still missing.

And then there was the issue of tracking Adrien down. If professional agents or whatever those men really were haven't been able to find him in all these months (With the moth miraculous, no less), then Marinette would probably not be much better off. Even if he saw her by chance or they got close enough that their communicators worked again, she didn't even know where to start. Was he south? Was he north? Was he even in France anymore?. Who knew. Not her. She was getting bitter now, thinking about this. Of course Tikki was right.

''There is one way for you to maybe find him'' Said the kwami suddenly. Marinette didn't want to get her hopes up, but Tikki finally agreeing with her in her frustrations was such a good change after months of feeling like the only one that really cared.

''You could use the Peacock… Adrien's bodyguard is with him, right?'' Tikki sounded like she wasn't sure her plan would work, but the girl was already feeling stupid for not thinking of it earlier.

''Yes! Can I detect the location of sentimonsters just by wearing it?'' She asked, genuinely having no idea of how that miraculous worked. She gave it to Luka months ago, not even bothering to make sure it was no longer cursed, though she knew Chat destroyed it anyways.

A plan was forming on her head. She would still have to ask Luka if she could use it to detect her partner's bodyguard from a distance, but it was a string of hope she was willing to cling to for now. Suddenly her day didn't seem so bleak anymore. Also, it was girls night.

After getting dressed and ready, Marinette went down to the bakery with the intention of just grabbing a couple pastries then going out to find the snake hero, but she found herself staring at the woman that was buying from the shop instead. It was a gorgeously dressed woman, in her forties that the girl instantly recognized.

''Tina Massoni?!'' She exclaimed before being able to stop herself. The famous designer stopped looking at the delicacies on the counter to stare at Marinette, but instead of the typical contempt that was so common in the high fashion world, the older woman smiled at her.

''A fan, I assume'' Said the woman warmly, all of her attention on the girl now. Marinette had no idea what to say. Why was such an important figure of the industry in her parents bakery?!. Sadly, she only needed a couple of seconds of her brain not malfunctioning from the shock to know the answer: It must be her stupid good luck.

''Hey I don't bite, well, not people anyways. I'd really like a bite of one of these'' The older designer cheerfully said, pointing at the macaroons she was previously contemplating buying. She must have noticed Marinette's sudden change of humor, the girl realized. She stopped pouting and while Sabine finished her sale, the girl gathered her wits again.

''Hello, I really like your work, specially last years autumn collection, it was wonderful'' She managed to say that without hesitating or stuttering, for which she was proud. A small victory that didn't have anything to do with her unnatural fortune.

''Oh thank you! Hey, that is a really cute shirt, where did you get it?'' The woman spoke with such a casual tone and choice of words that Marinette was still a bit dumbfounded by how nice she was. She only knew her work from a distance, never bothering to check on much of her favorite designers personal lives or attitudes. She usually ended up being disappointed by how stuck up most of them were, not even Gabriel being safe from the stereotype, even after knowing that he wasn't so bad, terrorism aside.

''Oh! um, I made it myself, actually'' She said, feeling the blush finally make its appearance on her face. She had taken so long to answer any other person would have thought she was dumb, but Tina was looking at her with even more interest now.

''Really?... Can I?'' Asked the woman, signaling with her finger that she wanted to touch the piece of clothing. Marinette just nodded, not believing this was really happening.

''You have some serious talent, young girl. What is your name?'' Marinette could almost hear Tikki and Sabine's pride even though neither of them said anything. Her mother was watching the interaction with a huge smile plastered on her face.

''Marinette. Marinette Dupain-Cheng'' She said, suddenly shy again with all the attention.

''Oh you must be the baker's daughter!'' The designer exclaimed clapping her hands together in excitement. She looked over at Sabine, who just nodded quietly, her grin a bit more modest now.

''Hey Louie! Check this out!'' Tina was now on the door, calling someone from outside. A man who must be one of her assistants came in, the smells of the bakery instantly making him change from stoicism to looking starved.

''Why must you torture me like this, you know I'm on a diet!'' Marinette couldn't help but giggle at that, as it sounded like it was not the first time Louie said that to his boss, judging by their faces.

''The pastries are not the only awesome thing in here, check Marinette's shirt, she made it. How old are you, by the way?'' Tina sounded like a kid in Christmas, showing off their new presents, rather than the middle aged celebrity that she was.

''Seventeen''

Louie spent several minutes inspecting her blouse, which would be completely awkward if Marinette wasn't still quite starstruck and flattered by their admiration of her work. It was just a casual piece, nothing too special, but it was one of her favorites. It wasn't too long after that they asked her if she had more, and that was how somehow Tina Missoni and her right hand ended up in her bedroom, the former quickly looking through her various sketchbooks while the later inspected the other things she already confectioned.

''Alright, Marinette. Just one more question. How much free time do you have?'' Asked the woman, the girl already getting used to the lack of any formality in her demeanor and her direct approach.

''Enough to make these, at least'' Commented Louie before Marinette could answer.

''Well i'm still a student, so most of my days I spent at school… But yes, I use almost all of my free time to design'' She answered truthfully. Omitting that she was also a superhero came easy when she didn't really account that as ''free time''.

''Oh right you are seventeen, so no university yet. What do you think, Louie?'' Tina asked, looking at her assistant (Or whatever Louie was, Marinette was doubting her first guess more and more as she watched them).

''I say go for it, she's good, that's for sure'' Marinette would be bothered by them talking as if she wasn't there, but the compliments made up for it. She never received this many, from these kind of people, in a short amount of time before. The girl was sure her blush was never gonna go away now.

''So, Marinette'' Tina now gave all of her attention to her ''I just came to Paris yesterday, I'm moving here for the next few years because of a job and I also need a few extra hands for it. I had already decided before meeting you that one of those people had to be a young artist, and I now want that person to be you. What do you think?'' Marinette just stared for a moment, then Louie spoke, giving her more time to process what was happening.

''We will pay you a fair price for your time, of course, and hopefully you will learn a thing or two in our studio. We usually trial new people for a few months before fully committing with them, but if your work with us is at the same level of what you have here, then there should be no problem'' Said the man, now joining Tina at smiling at her like she already said yes.

''Oh my god'' Was all she could answer, so low it was almost a whisper.

''Hurry up Jason!'' His mom screamed, the teen barely able to hear her with the waves crashing against the stone walls so near.

The young man was too busy filming the almost scary whiplashes of the sea, however, deciding that he would pretend to not have listened to his mother for one more second. The storm had started so suddenly that various other tourists were still outside near the ocean when the sky got dark and the tides got wild. Most people wanted to get inside anywhere and get dry, but Jason was finally having fun. Their trip to France had been so uneventful so far, specially for a teen with no interest in art, history, sights.. or well, anything much. Except superheroes, those were cool.

Speaking of which, Chat Noir jumped from an adjacent roof to the stone wall, chasing one of the men that Jason could have mistaken for another frightened tourist if it wasn't for the way he frantically looked back at the cat that pursued him.

''Sorry mom, now I really can't go inside'' He said more to himself, knowing that if he could barely hear the woman, then she wouldn't know what he just whispered as he pointed his phone's camera to the chase. Jason laughed and he barely kept his hand steady, too excited to stop the shaking. Maybe too cold, too. But who cared, a superhero was fighting right in front of him!

Both criminal and hero ran, so Jason had to give chase too, or he would miss filming the moment when the former had nowhere else to go. A giant wave crashed again and Chat Noir did a flip in the air, avoiding most of the man he was chasing wasn't so lucky, he tripped on the slippery floor and the cat landed on his back, making sure that he would not get up again.

''You were really hard to find, for such a big and smelly pig'' Said the Chat, and even if his tone was playful, Jason could tell that he was pressuring the man's head down on the rocks, making sure he couldn't speak back. This guy must have done something very bad for the hero to be so mad at him, thought the teen as he filmed.

All of his friends loved the French superheroes, and Chat Noir was especially popular now that he was also outed as a freaking model. No one his age really believed that he had killed that girl, and the few that did thought he was even cooler for it. This video was gonna go so viral, it would make having that youtube channel finally worth it, thought the teen.

''Hey! Chat Noir! Smile for the camera!'' He called the hero, who just now noticed Jason's presence. Instead of waving or whatever, the cat frowned, Jason being close enough now to see that little detail.

''What are you doing out here? Don't you see the storm?!'' As he said that, another wave hit, this time right on the spot where the hero and the criminal were. It was also near enough to Jason that he got completely soaked, only barely managing to save his phone from most of the water.

''Jason!'' His mother screamed behind him. The boy looked back, finally feeling guilty at leaving her behind. Also finally thinking that this might be dangerous... She was running towards him but then she stopped, the worry on her face morphing into sheer horror as she looked up at something behind Jason.

The boy turned around, and saw Chat Noir jumping at him, a giant tidal wave seconds from exploding on the wall him. This one was too big, thought the teen, fear paralyzing him as the hero pushed him away. Jason fell on his back right on the edge of most of the water's reach, phone still filming somehow, the wave having infiltrated the city as if the wall wasn't even there. That monster of a wave then receded, and both Jason's eyes and his camera could now see that there was no one else left there, the force of the water taking with it both the criminal and Chat Noir.

''I tell you this one more time girl, you are gonna be famous'' Said Alya before sipping from her orange drink.

''But it's because of my stupid powers going crazy! As soon as I fix things, Tina will realize how useless I am and dump me!'' Complained the designer, making both Alya and Chloe roll their eyes at the same time.

''You are just fishing for compliments now'' Quipped the blonde, smirking when she saw how the fox heroine lifted her hands in exasperation, spelling ''Thank you'' with her lips.

Marinette tried to turn her head to look at Chloe, a complaint already coming out from her mouth, but the rich girl just grabbed both of the designer's temple to keep her in place. She wasn't done with her dye job, after all.

''I'm not!''

''Then stop complaining. Yes it might have been your fortune that got the worlds nicest high fashion designer on your parents bakery, but the reason she picked you is because you are talented, Marinette. Just enjoy this'' Said Alya, and it looked like the topic was finally done with.

Which was about time, thought Chloe. Their girls night had started an hour ago, and they already talked about all the details of Marinette's encounter that morning. They were supposed to relax and talk about boys and shit, not worry about the world's balance affecting their careers.

''Anyways, what are we gonna do about your little problem?'' Said the reporter, now staring directly at Chloe.

The blonde frowned, not sure of what she meant. She had plenty of problems, after all.

''She means Juleka'' Clarified Marinette, trying to move her head and being forcefully stopped by Chloe, again.

''Bah! That is their problem, I told him to go home this morning but I'm not sure he did''

Chloe finished wrapping the designer's hair tips in aluminium foil, then went to the bathroom to clean her hands from the dye.

When she came back, Marinette and Alya were both laughing at something, so Chloe just silently sat on her pillow again. She hosted most these meetings in her hotel rooms, though sometimes they went to the dotted heroine's place, too, when her parents bribed them with delicacies. Chloe's place was bigger though, and she had beds for everyone, so it was usually not even a discussion. Having a butler bringing everything they wanted in was also a very big plus. Today they had sparkling drinks (No alcohol, though, they usually didn't need it to have fun anyways) and a bunch of mini sandwiches Jean made with three different recipes. Chloe grabbed one as she listened the conversation, which suddenly switched from them laughing about Nino's last encounter with XY, to Marinette announcing she had something to say.

''You are going after Adrien'' Said Alya before the heroine could even start talking.

Chloe raised an eyebrow, and Marinette opened her eyes wide for a moment, then smiled shyly.

''If I didn't know better, I would think your powers were mind reading instead of illusions'' Commented the designer, not denying Alya's assumption.

''My power is knowing my best friend like the palm of my hand''

''Why now, though? And how are you going to find him?'' Asked Chloe, and then Marinette explained to them her half assed plan of using the Peacock to locate their missing friend and boyfriend.

''I already asked Luka, and he told me that it would work kind of like an imprecise radar, but that it could potentially lead me to where Adrien is, it's better than just using my yoyo to try and see if he's in range at every single city in the country'' Continued the designer.

That plan sure was flimsy, thought Chloe with a pang of sadness for her friends. Marinette was obviously desperate, and if this was the only idea the freaking incarnation of creativity had, then she was going to need some actual alcohol. At least it meant no one else could find Adrikins, either.

''But what about school?'' Asked Alya, and as Marinette opened her mouth to answer her question, the reporters phone started ringing loudly, interrupting the girl again. A silly country tune filled the room, making the other two girls snort.

''It's Nino'' Said the reporter before the others could judge her too much. ''He hates it'' She explained, taking the call. As if that made it less funny, thought Chloe, barely suppressing a giggle while Marinette was in the same predicament.

''Hey babe''

Chloe saw how Alya's face switched from smile and sparkling eyes, to worry, as the conversation progressed. Her mouth dropped and she looked at Marinette, who stopped giggling at the sudden change of mood.

''We will'' She said before hanging up. Nino's voice was loud enough for Chloe to be able to hear him, raising her internal alarms even more.

''Nino said there's a video we need to watch'' The fox heroine merely said, answering their questions before they formulated them. She then grabbed Chloe's computer and started typing.

''What is this?'' Asked Marinette, her voice tiny and filled with worry as the three of them leaned closer to the computer's screen.

The quality of the video was not the greatest, but Chloe instantly recognized the location just after a couple of seconds of watching it.

''That's Saint-Malo, I'm pretty sure, I was there last summer'' She commented.

The video started with a view of the giant waves that striked against the walls that surrounded the town, dividing it from the ocean. Then the reason of why Nino wanted them to watch this became clear: Chat Noir was giving chase to what must be a criminal across the border of the stone walls.

Chloe could hear Marinette let out a tiny gasp beside her, but neither of them said anything as the video played out. The blonde almost cried when she heard Adrikins voice for the first time in month, as he spoke to the criminal, then to the person who was filming. Then everything went to shit.

By the time the video ended, Chloe was in actual tears. She looked over to Marinette, but was surprised to see no wetness on her eyes. Instead, the girl was frowning, then getting up.

''I'm going'' She said in a low voice, then grabbed her bag, not even bothering to put most of her stuff back in it, then stormed out towards the room next door, where the kwamis were having their own little party, oblivious to what was happening.

Chloe and Alya looked at each other, both knowing that even if they tried they wouldn't be able to stop their friend. They heard Marinette transforming into Ladybug on the other room, then a window opening, then silence.


	5. Assumptions

Rose couldn't stand the awkwardness of being alone on a cafe with nothing to do, so she ordered a tea before Juleka showed up. Her little predicament wasn't even her girlfriends fault, Rose was there too early. She sipped at her warm drink, looking outside the window and wondering what held the goth back this time. They usually met on sundays on the park, but the weather was just too bad for that to happen now. Even in other winters they didn't have this problem, but it looked like a blizzard was about to start any moment now.

''Anything else sweetie?'' Asked the nice woman that served her the tea. Rose smiled at her, shaking her head.

''I'll wait for my date, thank you'' As she said that, Juleka opened the door and after briefly scanning the packed coffee shop, joined Rose at her table.

The woman gave them the time to think what they wanted, but Juleka didn't even look interested in the menu, looking around the shop with a frown instead.

''Not hungry?'' The blonde girl asked, already bracing herself for some venting, judging by the goth's face.

Juleka didn't immediately answer, choosing instead to pick up the menu to cover her face. It had been a while since Rose saw her girlfriend being so shy. She must be really upset, she thought. It was just like a time bomb, when she got like this.

Instead of prodding with words, Rose grabbed one of the goth's hands and just looked at her in the eye, porting her warmest smile. It didn't take long after that for Juleka to finally start talking.

''It's been a week since I've seen my brother, Rose'' She said. So it was about Luka again, thought the pink loving girl with a sigh. This was not even the first time nor the longest the guitarist had been out of his house in these past months, but apparently he hadn't even bothered to lie to Juleka about his activities this time around.

''He's probably fine, or Chloe would be crying all over the place'' She tried to lighten the mood, realizing her mistake too late.

''That's the thing! Chloe must be a part of this! She's just hiding him from me and pretending to be this nice new her, when she's probably just laughing at my back!'' She burst out, almost too loud. Thankfully the shop was full of chatter already and no one else in the room seemed to care what their discussion was about.

They had talked about this topic before, of course. But Juleka didn't start making conspiracy theories until this week, when not even gulping down her shame to ask Marinette where her brother could be gave her any answers.

''He's free to do whatever he wants, sleep wherever, but at least I should know, right? I've had to lie to mom already about this, and I just… I just can't stand her, Rose. Why her? Why Chloe?'' She kept rambling, and Rose couldn't do much other than offer her support by still keeping her girlfriend's hand between hers.

She honestly had no idea what was going on, there was no proof about either Juleka's theory being correct, or something else that explained Luka's avoidance of his sister. Ever since that gala dance where Chloe invited him, they'd been together and Chloe became recognized for being the face of Paris's heroes to the public. The first person the media came to for direct answers, as well as someone who knew the missing Adrien Agreste from childhood. Most people didn't know that she wasn't even that close to him before that whole fiasco. So there was reason for Juleka to not buy Chloe's new role, like she never did buy the girls attempts at being nice before all this happened. For the goth, her former bully stopping her evil schemes was not enough proof of her change of attitude, and then she had to ''steal'' her brother away on top of everything.

Rose was not as cynical, of course. She actually could (And wanted to) believe that Chloe Bourgeois had changed for the better, and that her thing with Luka was genuine and not some…wicked game. But at the same time, it was obvious that the guitarist was hiding something from his sister, and that Chloe probably knew what it was. It was very understandable why Juleka wouldn't believe anything the rich girl would say or pretend to be, the experience with Lila cementing a strong paranoia within her.

''I know you are frustrated, but It's not gonna do anything good for you. Let your brother decide when to tell you these things he's been keeping'' She suggested once Juleka stopped her venting for a bit, interrupted by the server asking for their order.

''But what if he's in real trouble?'' There were tears on the goth's caramel eyes now, and Rose's heart broke a little at looking at her like that. She tightened her grip on her hand.

''I'm sure he's fine'' She said, her confidence on that fact coming out of nowhere. But he had to be ok, or Chloe would not stand still… right? Unless Juleka was right and the rich blonde really didn't care about him at all… Rose shook her head, making those assumptions disappear.

''I think Marinette knows, too'' Whispered the goth after a pause, where they got more tea and a piece of cake to share from the server. Juleka got her hand back from Rose to stir her cup, not meeting her eyes.

Rose sighed. She was sure Marinette knew a lot more things she let on, too. She just couldn't exactly point her finger at what cold those things be. The girl had been understandably devastated when Adrien turned out to be Chat Noir and ran away from the law. It was still painful to think about those first days after the gala. So many things got out at once. But Lila being a big fat liar and then dying was the worst of them, in Rose's opinion. Half her class felt like fools, most too ashamed to even look at Marinette in the eye now, but they couldn't get angry either, the grief of losing one of their classmates so tragically hitting them hard anyways.

Rose wasn't even sure she wanted to know what Marinette and her group were hiding, but she couldn't pretend anymore that she didn't see the connection between them and the missing model. But she chose to live her life in peace, not bothering with stuff that could hurt her and her girlfriend if she could avoid it.

''I miss the times when we just tried to help her confess to Adrien'' She finally said, joining on her girlfriends sulking mood. Juleka lifted her eyes for one second to look at her, then went back to her tea.

''Me too… I miss Kitty section, and everyone talking to each other'' She whispered, then frowned ''I miss when everyone was against Chloe instead of each other''

''Juleka…'' Rose started softly scolding her. This was not where she wanted this conversation to go to.

''And now even my brother likes her, when all she has done is get famous because she's the only idiot that outed her secret identity to the world''

''That is not fair, I don't think she's enjoyed talking about her missing childhood friend that much…'' Rose said.

''You don't know that! She always liked attention, and now's she's got it!'' Juleka was raising her voice now, and Rose had enough.

''This is not gonna solve anything! I love you, but you need to stop obsessing over this. See you on monday when you calm down'' The pink dressed girl left the money for her share of the meal in the table, then stormed out, their cake untouched.

She knew she was going to feel guilty for this as soon as she calmed down, too. But Rose was so tired of all this drama. First Adrien and Lila fight in class, then Marinette and her friends suddenly say that Lila is a liar, and then it turned out that they were right that whole time! Rose felt stupid everytime she remembered, so she vowed to never believe in anything crazy again until she got proof. But Juleka took that to the next level, creating these theories to explain what her brother was doing and to feel like her hatred for Chloe was valid. Rose was tired of people fighting over assumptions. Why couldn't her girlfriend understand that? She was making the hole between their classmates bigger instead of closing the gap and trying to heal.

If only that stupid gala hadn't happened, all of her classmates would be alive and friendly to each other, even Chloe. Lila would be the only rightful exception to that, very much deserving any scorn she got for her lies. In a parallel reality, Adrien would still be here and keeping his secret. Including that his father was Hawkmoth cause who would want their only parent to be arrested? Especially when he stopped doing evil things anyway? Lila would be alive and Rose wouldn't have to see her mother screaming at superheroes on TV for her loss, and Marinette would still be their friend, so would Alya and Nino. And, most importantly Juleka wouldn't have to be sad and resentful anymore.

Rose's eyes started welling up as she thought about that perfect world, walking on her own while snow was slowly precipitating around her.

But the world wasn't perfect.

Plagg watched as Simon browsed the chanels on the TV, pretending to look for useful information when in reality, he was just probably trying to distract himself from the sleeping boy in the bed beside him.

Adrien was breathing calmly now, the worst of his fever gone last night, but he was still unconscious. He had been since last night, when he dragged his shaking and soaked to the bone body into the hotel. Plagg wasn't sure how he managed that, considering he had to detransform to pass as a civilian while he roamed the cold streets, the power of the suit no longer fueling his energy.

Last night had been the kind of nightmare even the kwami wanted some distraction from. If there was one thing Plagg didn't like experiencing, it was finding himself and his chosen one lost in dark waters that moved so violently, figuring out what was up and what was down was hard enough, getting out while carrying someone else even worse. Adrien didn't pronounce a word after dragging the criminal out of the water along with himself, and the cat had stayed quiet all their walk towards the hotel too. They both knew it had been close. If it wasn't for the boy's quick thinking and that he carried his water transformation cheese with him, he would be dead and it would be just Plagg getting out of the ocean, carrying a ring and a heavy heart instead.

And of course he would get sick, it was some sort of miracle it hadn't happened earlier, with their luck getting worse and worse. The boy coughed softly but didn't open his eyes. Simon was now staring at Adrien again for a moment, but then the huge man stood up and grabbed the tablet he used to communicate.

The man took his time to type something on the screen, then turned it over so Plagg could read it.

''We should get him back to Paris'' He read out loud, then shook his head.

''I agree, but we are not the ones that make those choices here, are we?'' He couldn't help but have some bitterness in his voice, remembering how stupidly stubborn his kitten has been these past months.

They knew this was gonna happen, one way or another. It was like a chain smoker waiting for lung cancer to finally do something about it, and Plagg wasn't even sure at this point if this scare would be enough to convince Adrien that they should head back to Paris. No amount of proof of the imbalance that was happening was enough to make the boy put his lady in even the slightest bit of danger. No, the idiot had to take it all for himself. It was almost like he hadn't learnt a thing from his past experiences, when he bottled up his emotions and then even freaking destroyed them, just to not make anyone worry about him.

Plagg knew he was being unfair, though. Adrien had learnt. He was not acting against Destructions nature any more, in fact he had been doing a great job at hunting criminals while he traveled and his emotional state was surprisingly stable considering the shit he went through. He really was made for this, sad as it was the way they figured it out.

The cat god knew that it couldn't be Adrien's action causing the weather to be so shit, and making his luck worsen. It was something else, maybe something Ladybug was doing or not doing, but this reminded him of the times when only Tikki was allowed to have a chosen one. Ancient times, those were, when they didn't know Destruction was just as needed to keep balance.

The bodyguard was again looking at the TV, though he was finally sticking with a channel. It was a silly romantic movie, by the looks of it. Plagg decided to stop heating his little head trying to solve a problem for which he didn't have all the information of, and started paying attention to the cheesy dialogue on screen instead.

Hopefully Adrien would wake up soon, they would have lunch and then his kitten would be easily convinced now that they should head back to Paris. If not, then he would make sure he was as powerful as ever, the only other way Plagg knew how to protect him when he stopped listening.

Nino entered the bakery that morning and greeted Sabine, who looked distracted. She probably saw the video too, realized the DJ as he stood in the middle of the place, not looking at any of the pastries.

''She's upstairs'' Said the woman after a while, finally noticing that he was not there to buy his favorites.

''Thank you'' He said, then started walking upstairs.

Marinette was on her desk, she jumped on the chair when she heard Nino opening the hatch door on the floor of her room. She must have been really concentrated on whatever she was doing on her computer, for her to not have listened to his steps on the stairs.

''Hey dudette'' He greeted, more cheerful than he felt.

''Nino, what are you doing here?'' Her question was sort of rude, considering the circumstances. But she had only surprise on her voice, so he didn't take offence.

''I'll go with you'' He blurted out, not wanting to have any sort of small chat.

Marinette looked at him in the eye, confused at first, then she opened her eyes and looked back at her computer. Then back at him.

''B-but school'' She started arguing weakly, probably already knowing it was futile.

''Fuck school'' At the bad word, Tikki gasped a little. It would have been funny if he wasn't so pissed. ''He's my best friend, I'll go with you and help you get his ass back here, whether he wants to or not'' He was not shouting by any means, but he made sure he was serious.

The girl stared at him, eyes wide open, for a couple of seconds, then she snorted.

''Good, now I have someone to take turns with at dragging him back across the country'' The little bit of humor coming from the most unlikely person in this situation was enough to make him smile. He was glad to see that Marinette was back to being herself, now that she knew what she had to do.

''It's not that far away'' He commented, walking towards her to see what he guessed was her trying to get train tickets to Saint-Malo on the computer.

''It's far enough that we need to take the train… But there were no tickets for today'' She said, frown back on her face. She must have been so frustrated, she probably tried to leave yesterday as soon as she saw the video, but he, too, knew that there were no seats on the trains to that part of the country until monday morning.

''What about Chloe?'' He asked.

''What about her?''

''She owns a helicopter, doesn't she?'' He said, raising one eyebrow. He was still not completely used to having the blonde on their side, but it sure was nice knowing they could count on money when they truly needed some.

''Her father owns a helicopter, not her. It would be extremely obvious where would we be going if he even let us use it'' She answered.

She was right, of course. Too many people involved and their secrets would be out in no time. Not that Nino wanted to care about that stuff right now, but the little rational voice in his head told him there were some lines they should not cross. Not yet, at least.

''He's alive'' She whispered all of a sudden. ''I would know if he hadn't made it out of the ocean. I know he's alive. But I can't stand being here any longer, I'm done with waiting''

Nino felt a bit of relief at hearing those words from her, he didn't even know he needed them until now. He didn't sleep at all last night, thinking about his best friend drowning in dark waters, how he might have died all alone. It could not have ended like that, no matter how tragic Adrien life had been so far, he was still a hero, he had to be fine. That little hope kept him sane these past hours, but hearing Marinette sort of confirm to him that his best friend was not dead melted most of the tension he felt. He finally realized how tired he was.

He didn't even care that it sounded like she was some sort of superstitious old woman who could ''know in her heart'' things that she truly couldn't confirm. She was Ladybug after all, she must have some sort of… magic connection or whatever, with Chat Noir. She would know if she didn't have a partner anymore, right?

Nino put a hand on the girls shoulders, but she was not crying. She nodded to him with a tiny, grateful smile, then turned around to face her computer screen again.

''Alright, two tickets to Saint-Malo first hour on monday morning''


	6. One lie

Viperion sneaked around the boat-house like he didn't live there.

It was late, but he knew his sister would be awake anyways, she was a night owl, that girl. The window to his room was closed and he struggled a bit to open it, but he managed to enter the dark bedroom with no major problems.

Master Fu had kicked him out for the night, after Marinette went to his apartment to vent the elder man finally realized that Luka hadn't been completely honest with him. The guitarist detransformed and started changing into his pajamas, smiling as he remembered his little joke with Chloe about that particular clothing type.

''Will we stay here now, masssster?'' Asked Sass, floating beside him as he changed.

''Just tonight, tomorrow I'll talk to Fu'' About what, he wasn't sure.

He told the older guardian that he would do things right, that he would talk to Juleka and at least create some decent excuse as to why he wasn't staying in his own house. Problem was, Luka really, really didn't want to lie to his sister. He knew that just ignoring that she had worries of her own was even worse, but he just couldn't look at her pretty eyes and tell her anything that isn't that he'd been taking care of the person that used to be in charge of the miraculous. What are those? Oh nothing, just the jewels that power superheroes… you know, like Ladybug and Chat Noir?. And then she would ask what he had to do with that, and he would have to explain that he was a hero too, and the new guardian on top of it… Oh, and that he planned on going on a trip to Tibet soon cause he wanted to know more about, well, everything. Yeah, not gonna happen.

The alternative was just too painful. One thing were the little white lies that he made up everytime he needed to be alone to study the grimoire or get out on the rare occasions Viperion was needed on the streets. He just didn't think neither his mom nor his sister would buy that he would ''hang out with friends'' for a whole week, or more… So he said nothing.

He facepalmed as he sat on his bed. It was exactly as he left it a week ago. Why was this so hard for him? The others didn't seem to have any problems making up excuses for their disappearances and explanations for their behavior. Heck even Alya, the owner of the miraculous of truth of all things, had no qualms about this, at least not more than the usual. Luka hated that for all his skill at understanding other people, he was really having a hard time understanding himself.

Maybe it was because Juleka wasn't just another adult that wouldn't understand why they did this.

''Luka?'' His sister's voice called from outside his room.

When he didn't answer, she opened the door, got in and turned the lights on. Juleka stood there in her pajamas, staring at her missing brother. There was no sign of Sass.

''H-hey, Jules'' He greeted sounding as nervous as he felt.

The goth frowned, looked at him briefly then around the room, then at the still open window.

''You got in from your window?'' Was the first thing she asked, sounding skeptical. So she was dancing around the subject…

''Ah, yeah, I forgot my keys'' That was not a lie. He got so used to going in and out of places from their windows that the last time he got out he forgot to take that particular item with him.

''I see... '' She whispered, then looked at the floor and Luka's relief at her not asking the questions he didn't want to answer vanished once he saw that her eyes started to water.

''Hey- hey hey, Jules, what's wrong?'' He asked approaching the girl and hugging her. She sniffed.

''Rose and I had a fight'' She mumbled still under his embrace. He started caressing her hair, grateful for not being the main reason of his sister's tears.

''I'm sure it's gonna be fine, she has a strong temper sometimes, you know that'' He assured her.

They stood there until Juleka calmed down, sniffed one more time and broke the embrace. She looked at him in the eye, and for once he was unable to read what was going on inside her head.

''Why don't you come back home?'' There it was, no more dancing.

Luka sighed, then sat down on his bed. He tapped the spot by his side and his sister sat there without hesitation. She was looking at him now with something he did recognize: Hope.

''I'm sorry I've been a terrible brother these past weeks.. no, months'' He started saying, looking down on his knees instead of at her. ''It's just… I'm doing something, ok? It's not a bad thing, I promise-''

''Is it dangerous?'' She asked.

''...Sometimes'' He just couldn't lie to her. Luka stopped staring at his legs now and finally met his sisters gaze. ''But it's not bad, I just can't tell anybody about it''

''Not even Chloe?'' The skepticism on Juleka's voice hurt like a knife.

''Look, Jules… I know I'm being unfair to you, and that I don't deserve it anymore, but I need you to trust me, ok?'' When she didn't answer or move, he continued. ''I'll be home more, I promise, I want you happy and not worried about me, you don't need to, really. But I can't tell you more, it's just not my secret to tell'' There it was, a lie.

He was the guardian, if anyone on their little group had any authority, besides Ladybug and Chat Noir, to be telling on their secrets, it was him. But at the same time, he knew how biased he could get when it came to Juleka. He just didn't know if telling her would be wise, his heart too clouded by his need to be truthful with his sister.

To his surprise, however, Juleka smiled and nodded softly.

''Ok'' She said.

''Ok?''

''Yeah, I was just worried that you would be in trouble, since you didn't even tell me how long you would be gone… Just tell me that at least, next time'' She said, relief on her voice and washing all over him, too.

''You are the best sister, you know that, right?'' He hugged her.

''I still don't like Chloe'' She said, but it was less true anger and more teasing.

''You don't need to like her, though that would be nice... Just know that your brother is very happy with her'' He said, patting her head again. ''If the roles were reversed, I would want you to be happy too, no matter how much I disliked whoever you chose to be with''

Juleka chuckled then said ''You never hate anybody. And I wouldn't date your childhood bully…'' Ouch, he thought wincing.

''She's changed. I would dump her ass if she was mean to you again'' He half-joked, finally earning a giant grin from his sister.

''Alright, I'll trust you brother. Just tell me next time how long you will be away, ok? I can even help you with mom'' She said, getting up and leaving the room after turning the lights off again.

He truly had the best sister.

A purple skinned girl ran away from him, but she was too slow. He was a hunter, a beast made to destroy and maim, and she deserved both those things. His black claws caught her by the neck and her scream resonated around the room. Various people watched, a fox, a turtle, a snake, Ladybug. Her face was covered by a mask made by stone, but tears streaked down the cold cheeks anyways. He wanted to comfort her, but Lila needed to pay first.

He looked down to the dead girl on the pavement, the police surrounding him. Lila was no longer blue, but her lips were turning that color anyways. A voice screamed ''She was perfect! You will regret this!'' with so much vitriol, it made the god of destruction finally recoil and contemplate what he did.

''No- It was an accident'' He whispered, but his voice didn't come out.

Everyone around him started pointing his fingers at him, silently passing judgement. He turned around and saw that his Lady was one of them. He looked at her crying stony eyes, but she didn't react to his gaze at all.

''Monster'' She said.

Antoine woke up drenched in his own sweat even though the room was cold.

''What the…'' He said to himself, accidentally waking up the purple creature that slept on the feet of the bed. He told him not to do that.

''Master?'' Asked Nooro, his eyes still half closed.

Antoine took his time to think and to calm his breathing. That was obviously a nightmare, but it sure as heck was not his.

''Shh'' He made sure to shut the little creature up before he talked again. Tonight they shared rooms, him and T., and he didn't want the other agent knowing that he was awake. He needed to think first.

He knew where Adrien was, thanks to that accidental shared nightmare. It was such a strong feeling.. that guilt the boy had for what happened at the gala… He probably kept that suppressed deep down, or Antoine would have detected him much sooner. But you can't control what you see on your dreams, nor what you feel. The question was, why did he see it, too?

''Hey thingy'' He called to the creature.

''Nooro'' The kwami corrected him for the millionth time.

''I just shared a dream with someone else. Why?'' He went straight to the point. The reaction of the little god was not what he expected. The kwami opened his eyes as wide as they allowed him to, and he rapidly floated closer to his face so Antoine could listen to his whispers.

''You saw his dreams? Not just felt his feelings?'' The seriousness on his tone was even weirder than the creature's initial surprise. Antoine nodded.

''That's… You are-'' He was not able to complete his sentence, the door to the room next to Antoine's opening suddenly, interrupting him.

Nooro ''jumped'' in the air and hid behind Antoine's shoulder. T. entered the room, still in his pajamas. The older man raised an eyebrow.

''Nice pattern'' He commented teasingly, looking up and down at the agent dressed in an avocado themed pajama. The younger man didn't even grunt as usual, just stood there frowning at him.

''You know where the kid is'' T. said with such certainty, as if he had been listening to Antoine and Nooro's conversation. Which was kind of stupid, as he didn't really mention out loud that he knew where Adrien was.

''No-''

''Don't bullshit me! How come you haven't sensed him in this small town, when you could do it before in cities much bigger than this?'' T. was angry now, pointing a finger at Antoine's impassible face. He was not going to get bullied into anything, specially not by a rich man's spoiled brat.

''If I tell you that I don't know yet, then I. Don't. Know. '' He let some of his fury slip out in his tone, making the younger agent freeze. He had never showed anything other than teasing amusement and professionalism in front of T. before.

''Why are you awake?'' T. changed the subject after an awkward pause. So he didn't hear his conversation with Nooro? Probably not.

''I could ask you the same''

''I had to answer a call'' Said T. still standing in front of Antoine's bed. This was the first time he even mentioned those calls to the older agent, so he just raised an eyebrow, expectant of more information than that.

''They want us to finish the mission'' It was such a stupid statement, even for T.. Of course they wanted that, but then he felt something coming from the younger man. Insecurity, anger, desperation. Antoine got the sudden gut feeling that the man in front of him was hiding something. He knew that already, but this was the first time he had somewhat of a confirmation. And an idea of what it might be.

''They want us to go back to Paris, don't they?'' He tried, and apparently nailed it. Anger took over the rest of T.'s emotions, revealing that his hunch was correct.

''We need to get the cat first! It's the most important one! You find that boy or I will have you replaced by someone more competent!'' Now he was showing his true colors, thought Antoine with a smirk. Though the why was he so obsessed with that particular miraculous still eluded him.

''Alright, little boss'' He said without an ounce of respect on his tone. T. just widened his eyes, probably realizing that Antoine knew who he was, then stormed out of the room, finishing their conversation for good.

''Why did you lie, master?'' Asked Nooro in a whisper after a good ten minutes of making sure T. wouldn't be listening in.

''I don't know''

He just knew that he just couldn't let an angry beast like T. get his hands on Adrien while he was so vulnerable. Their mission was to take the miraculous, not kill children. Antoine groaned as he placed his head back on his pillows.

''Why do I suddenly care?'' He asked to himself. Thankfully the creature didn't bother responding to his question. He already knew the answer anyways.

He had been following Adrien Agreste's emotions for almost a year, sharing his fears, his guilt and his determination. The boy didn't know it, but Antoine and him had more in common than it would originally be thought possible by the older man, considering their vastly different backgrounds. The memory of the people he left behind suddenly attacked him full force, making the man hold his breath for a moment.

Valérie, the beautiful woman that he fell in love with when they were both too young to think of the consequences. The three little boys that were the result of that love, and the subsequent hunger that plagued their lives until Antoine decided it was enough.

Sometimes he wished he had a better excuse other than getting a girl pregnant when he had no solvency to feed her and three kids for his actions. Some darker past, a story that truly excused the very illegal and immoral things he had done on the past ten years. But no, he just started smuggling drugs into his own neighborhood so that they could afford dinners. Then he learned to shoot, and he got paid a lot for doing just that to others, so that they could afford a house with more than one bedroom. And then he died.

A crime syndicate sent him on a mission away from their original town, and Antoine had ended up in the middle of a bombing. A piece of glass cut half of his face and, though he found himself very much alive the next day on a hospital under the care of his bosses, the rest of the world thought he was no longer part of it. They promised him they would send his money to the woman he left behind, but that there was no need for her and his children to know he still existed. By that time he was so ashamed of having kept so many things secret from her and for all the things he had done, that he gladly accepted the deal.

Then came Mister M., a mysterious rich man that needed as many ''ghosts'' like Antoine as possible to search for items for his stupid collection. He bought him off his previous bosses and other than making sure his money was still being sent over to his family, Antoine couldn't have cared less about the change. In fact, he much prefered to be chasing over objects rather than just directly killing people off. He hadn't had the need to finish anyone in two years, and though the guilt was still buried there, deep down, he found himself more and more reluctant to do that again. Even the death of Lila Rossi was, though he didn't really liked or cared about the girl at all, something he would have preferred to have avoided.

And now he was going to be responsible for a young boy whose nightmare's were much like his own, just because he still didn't have the strength to just stop. Stop this life and go back to his Valérie and their kids, who probably didn't even remember him now. So he decided to compromise. He would tell T. where Adrien was, finish the mission. But he would make sure the man's rage didn't end up in another teenager's death.


	7. Moving pieces

''Do to him what he did to her'' Said the voice again.

Gianna Rossi wasn't sure anymore if it was the pills or just the fact that she'd been in her house, alone, for the past two months; But she was still sane enough to know that she wasn't supposed to respond to it. Whatever it was.

So she ignored the voice as she'd been doing since she first heard it. Even if what it said painfully resonated with what she felt, she was a logical enough woman to know that it could be some kind of manipulation. She knew enough of those, she was a politician after all.

But she had been blind when it came to her only daughter, that much she could admit now. Not being able to see how deep her lies were until it was too late, until Lila got involved with the wrong kind of people. Paris supposed heroes, those were the true liars; Pretending to be helpful and kind and good, when in reality they wouldn't turn against one of their own, but they would let a girl die. Her girl.

The woman tossed the cup of wine on her hand with as much strength as she could towards the chimney, the only light on the living room she spent most of her time on. Then she started laughing.

''I'm like one of those damn cliché women on tv, drunk on grief and useless'' She muttered to herself, feeling some weird kind of relief at noticing how different her voice was to the one that spoke to her from within the walls. So it wasn't really her mind playing tricks, maybe.

''Make them pay'' Repeated the feminine voice, echoing on the empty hallways of her too big of a house. Any place was too big for her now that she didn't have any staff, or a daughter.

''Oh shut up'' She finally retorted, rolling her eyes and getting up slowly, her body weak from the booze and not eating properly for weeks. She walked towards a nightstand with several bottles of wine and cups.

Gianna started pouring herself another cup when she got too dizzy to keep herself straight, her vision swimmed around the room and she found herself on the floor on fours. The cup she had been holding broke beneath her hand, making it bleed, and the pain was so different from all the dullness and permanent minor aches she got used to feeling that it was like waking up. She started at her hand in wonder, inhaling and exhaling consciously so that her vision wouldn't fade again.

''So weak, you can't have revenge like this'' Commented the voice, coming from nowhere and everywhere at the same time.

''Revenge, revenge, is that all you think about?'' The woman answered yet again, now that she knew nothing special would happen if she did. But then the laughing started, bouncing off the walls as if she was surrounded by metal instead of cushy tapestries.

Gianna got up, frowning and no longer as dizzy, offended by the mockery. She made her bleeding hand into a fist and started walking upstairs, towards the rooms. The laughing kept going, but it no longer felt as if it came from everywhere. No, it was coming from upstairs. From Lila's room.

She stood in front of the door she hadn't dared to open since she had to do it for the police after the gala. It was probably already covered in dust, but Lila's bed would have remained undone, her things on the same place she had left them before going out to a party where she would die. Gianna lifted her bleeding hand towards the handle, but before touching it she stopped herself, freezing like a statue. The laughing had stopped too.

''Revenge is what is in YOUR head, not mine. It's what you want, and I can help you have it'' Said the voice amused, the sound coming from the other side of the door.

Gianna got the sudden urge of getting whoever invaded her daughter's room out of there, so she opened the door without any more hesitation. As she had guessed, dust had covered the whole place. But there were no footprints or any indication of someone being there. The air inside looked thick, moths of dust floating around in the dim winter morning light. A cold sweat washed over the woman and she decided she no longer wanted to be there. One second was enough.

Gianna turned around and walked towards the bathroom instead, deciding to take one very needed bath. She washed her face first, her mind clearing a bit more. It was just a drunken dream, one of many. She'd been having too much wine lately, spending too long on her own when she should be working. She needed to keep putting pressure or the French government would let that boy go. Those idiots might even free his father, for all she knew. He was a rich man, he would get away with his crimes if enough time passed. Her daughter should have known that.

''My baby…'' She whispered, not daring to look at her face on the mirror. She probably looked more of a ghost than whatever face that voice had. If it had one, that is.

Marinette felt her heart rate finally normalize only when her and Nino finally found their seats on the train. It's not like she hadn't traveled before, but it was the first time she did it without any adult, and even though she was already seventeen and ashamed to feel this way, she couldn't help but think of herself as a child playing adult when she bought the tickets and asked for directions that one time her and the DJ got lost on the station. It didn't help that the reason she was traveling this time was to go an probably get lost again, searching for a sneaky cat who might not even be where she thought he was anymore.

''It's gonna be alright dudette, just relax'' Said Nino by her side, probably noticing how she was fidgeting with the ticket on her hands.

She just smiled at him, then did her best to appear calm so that he wouldn't have to repeat the same thing for the tenth time that morning. Nino was surprisingly chill with all this, though he admitted it was his first time traveling without adults too. Of all their friends, she supposed that the daughter of bakers and the son of a single mother would be the less traveled. Even Alya, who had so many sisters and whose parents were not rich by any means, had a trip to Disney Paris once with just her siblings. And it wasn't like Anansi was the responsible one in that group, thought Marinette with a small chuckle.

''What's so funny?'' Asked Nino, genuinely curious.

''Oh nothing, just thinking about Alya'' Answered the designer, earning a grin from the DJ in return. His girlfriend always lightened him up, even if she wasn't present.

''You mean, her little tantrum before we packed our things?'' He laughed out loud this time, making a few other passengers look at them with frowns on their faces. It was seven in the morning after all, most people wanted to sleep while traveling at this hour, not hear some teenagers and their gossip.

Marinette giggled as quietly as she could, remembering their little arrangements for this trip. They had a short reunion with the whole team to discuss this not-so-rushed-anymore plan. Their biggest concern was school, since they would be gone on monday and for who knew how long, they needed to make sure none of their classmates suspected anything. They all had seen the video after all, so if word came out that Nino and Marinette were on a trip all of a sudden, it wouldn't be too long before some of them connected dots. So they took out the peacock miraculous and handed it to Chloe, who accepted it reluctantly.

The blonde made it known that she only wanted Pollen as her permanent kwami, but this was an emergency and a sentimonster would be needed. But, as it turned out, she was terrible at it, or rather, all of them were. After some failed attempts at making accurate copies of Marinette, Duusu had to explain to them that they needed a strong emotional connection that made the wielder of the jewel capable of recreating a person. That, or a lot of practice and focus, which took time they didn't have. So they then gave it to Alya, who was even more reluctant but ended up successfully making a perfect copy of her boyfriend. Which creeped the hell out of her.

Marinette couldn't erase the smile of her face at remembering Alya's expression of disgust, confusion and horror when the sentimonster tried to kiss her. Her reaction had been priceless, but then the original boyfriend interrupted and the fox heroine had found herself with two Nino's trying to calm her down. ''Nope, not doing this, nope'' She ended up saying after making the sentimonster disappear. The face the fake Nino made when Alya wished him away was also really disturbing for all of them.

Trixx then explained that Alya was the wielder of illusions and truth, but one thing was playing with them and the other one was letting lies play you. That sentimonster Nino was in that category, apparently. So after a good fifteen minutes of discussion, they ended up deciding that Alya would make a fake Ladybug, which was surprisingly easy to fake when her personality didn't really matter, they just needed her to be on rooftops once in a while. Chloe would have the object that the fake bug was tied to and keep her in check, while Alya then would cast one of her new tricks, a glamour that lasted as long as it was needed over something solid. She would turn Luka into Nino and have him go to school, which for reasons Marinette still didn't get a hundred percent, didn't creep her bff out. The whole conversation had been so silly it was impossible not to smile reminiscing it.

That just left Marinette, who would pretend to be sick and her parents would help her out on it, since they were in on the secret anyways no one else would suspect much if they went to the bakery asking. The weather was awful anyways and a lot of people at school had fallen ill already, so it wouldn't be too weird if one of them did. Marinette bit her lip, thinking that maybe it should have been her that Luka posed as, since Nino would be a lot less likely to get ideas after watching that video… Then again that was just her thinking that. She often forgot that Nino felt just as much desperation to get the ex-model back as she did. And Luka would completely suck at imitating her, she thought with another giggling fit. At least for Nino he only had to say ''dude'' every few seconds and he was golden.

''I hope they are doing ok'' Said the real Nino by her side. She thought that by now he would be sleeping, but he had been silently staring out the window instead. ''It's almost time for class to start''

She looked at her phone and, indeed, most of the students at their school should already be seated and waiting for the teacher to arrive. For all the joking around and teasing they had done yesterday, Marinette truly hoped that their day just went by with no incidents. But at the same time, the tightness on her chest didn't come from that particular worry. All her heart really cared about right now was getting Adrien Agreste back safe and sound.

At least she didn't see any bunnies on her way to the station, so she knew her choices were on the right place. She really hoped that was the case.

The first thing Adrien asked about when he opened his eyes that morning wasn't ''What day is it?'' or ''Where am I?'' Or any other obvious, much needed information one had to question when waking up confused after a fever. No, the idiot asked what happened to the man that fell on the ocean with him, and Plagg wasn't sure if he should be proud or just smack the kitten on the head. Maybe both.

After assuring him that he was as ok as one could hope to be after nearly drowning, and rightfully rotting in a cell, Adrien finally calmed down enough to pay attention to his surroundings. They didn't have time to change hotels or anything, but he seemed puzzled anyways.

''How long have I been sleeping?'' The ex model asked then, looking at Plagg directly, since he was the only one that could provide him with information without slowly typing stuff on a tablet.

''It's monday morning'' Said the kwami, still waiting for the kid to wake up completely, as he still looked dazed.

''Two days…'' Confusion took over gain as he tried to look outside. Right, it was so dark because of the bad weather that it really was hard to believe it was almost eight.

The silence after that short conversation would have been a lot longer if it wasn't for the maid of the hotel knocking on the door, signaling that they brought breakfast as they asked on the phone. Plagg briefly wondered if they would notice that the voice that asked for the food wouldn't fit neither the enormous man nor the sleepy teenager on the room. Oh well.

''Thank you'' Muttered Adrien before the woman closed the door behind her. He picked one of the orange juice glasses and gulped it down.

When they were almost finished eating, the gorilla stood up and picked a couple of clothes from Adrien's bag. The teen just looked with one raised eyebrow then, when the man started packing everything else on the room, he understood.

''I guess we are moving, huh'' He commented, the silent way the bodyguard pressured him not being missed by wither the boy or the kwami.

''Those men must be here already, if they don't know our location by now then I'm Ladybug, cause that's some major luck'' Said the kwami, knowing full well that luck was not on their side. On the contrary.

''It is kind of weird that they haven't found us yet'' Said Adrien as he got up and started walking towards the bathroom. He looked a bit unsteady on his feet at first but then got over it quickly. Good, thought the kwami. Whatever sickness he had was at least a short lived one.

Before the teen could enter the bathroom, however, the bodyguard grunted and approached him with two pieces of paper. Here we go, thought Plagg, watching Adrien take the train tickets and inspect them. He frowned as predicted.

''I'm not going to Paris'' He merely said, then tossed the tickets towards the bed, closed the bathroom door and started the shower.

''Well that was a short conversation…''

The gorilla just grunted again, though he didn't seem as frustrated as Plagg would have thought. The kwami surely was tired of Adrien being so stubborn, but if Simon wasn't as frustrated yet it meant he had some sort of plan to convince the boy, right?

''You do have a plan, right?'' He asked, floating near the man so he knew he was talking to him.

Simon started at the kwami for a moment, then took his tablet out. It was a full ipad, but it looked like a phone in the man's huge hands. He showed Plagg a news article he had saved beforehand, and the kwami couldn't help but raise both eyebrows and widen his eyes as he saw what the gorilla's ''Plan B'' was.

''Oh''


	8. Glamour

Juleka arrived very early that monday morning feeling oddly energized and happy. She still hadn't talked to Rose after their little fight, but seeing and speaking to her brother was apparently good enough to get her mood soaring. He didn't really tell her much, but the goth never needed to know all the details of his brother's life, she could be patient about that. But she needed something, any kind of reassurance that he was doing ok and not, what was that phrase she heard mom say? ''Losing sight of the music sheet'' or something along those lines. Whatever that meant. And she got it. Sort of.

Her worries had been that since graduating school, her brother was doing those little disappearance acts and lying poorly to conceal whatever he was doing, even mom was starting to notice something was off. Well, that, and that he hadn't enrolled in any university or conservatoire. Juleka shook her head. No . He asked for her trust and she was going to give it to him, now that he promised in exchange to let her know whenever he was gonna be off and when he would come back. For now, that was enough.

The tall girl sat on her usual desk and looked around the classroom. No signs of Rose yet, and, well, no signs of anyone actually. Only Nathaniel was in the room with her, too concentrated on his drawing to say hello. Juleka started wondering how much earlier had the redhead arrived when the doors opened. She felt some of her old shyness come back at the sight of her girlfriend, who looked directly at her as she walked towards their shared table.

''Hi'' Said Juleka, glad that Rose was looking at her in the eyes and no anger seemed to be tainting her expression , but still feeling awkward.

''Oh Juleka, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you like that, you were worried about Luka and I was unfair and-''

Juleka shut her up with an embrace, followed by a kiss. Rose took it gladly, they still probably had to talk about this, but it could wait until the class was over for the day. They could go back to that cafe and finish their afternoon surrounded by the pleasant smells and company, like they wanted to do the other day.

The goth did tell Rose that she talked to her brother, thanks to her little outburst. The pink loving girl was ecstatic, and they then switched to other topics as they waited for the class to start. One by one, the rest of the Francois-Dupont students entered the classroom and took their seats, chatting and filling the place with noise and life again. Almost everyone was there, except for Marinette and Chloe. There were only a few minutes before the teacher was supposed to arrive, so Juleka assumed Marinette would not be coming. The designer stopped being late a long time ago. The same couldn't be said about Chloe Bourgeois, though. The blonde opened the door a few seconds before the bells rang.

''Good morning my favorite peasants! Another happy day of studies and learning, yaaay!'' Exclaimed Chloe as she walked towards her seat. She sent kisses with her hands towards the class, which for the most part was just stunned at her antics. Juleka raised an eyebrow. Then Nino's snort interrupted the awkward silence, and the chatter started again until the teacher arrived.

''She must have had some good news'' Commented Rose at her side in a whisper.

''But the video…'' Said Juleka, confusion filling her brain again.

Surely Chloe must have seen that video that went viral over the weekend, right? It was probably part of why Marinette didn't come today, Juleka imagined that the designer weeped all night long and needed today to sleep, or maybe she got sick after going out in the cold to walk out her worry. Or maybe she didn't care at all anymore about their missing classmate and Marinette was just recovering from a normal cold. Juleka could not be sure anymore, since she hadn't talked to the girl in months. She didn't know what she was thinking or feeling, unlike before, when her and almost all the girls on this very classroom were the designers trusted confidants.

Juleka pondered for the first minutes of the class about what all of this meant, but then decided that she would gain nothing overthinking things when she didn't really know anything. It was the same moot point she had reached with her brother, except she had no idea who to trust regarding this. She decided to dismiss this topic from her head for now, and pay attention to the rest of the lecture. Which she succeeded at doing until she saw something weird.

Chloe was staring at Nino, of all people, and smiling. What? Juleka frowned, then noticed that Nino was smiling back at the blonde. Alya didn't seem to realize, the reporter was just taking notes and ignoring everything else around her. The staring contest between the rich girl and the DJ ended with the former giggling stupidly to herself after Nino did a silly wave with his fingers, then going back to paying attention. Nino, on the other hand, did not take his sight from her. He had his stuff out but it didn't seem like he had any interest in writing anything down.

Juleka remembered her fight with Rose and her talk with her brother. She knew herself enough to realize that she was a little bit more paranoid than most people were. So she decided to ignore this. What was she going to do, anyways? She wasn't in talking terms with any of them, specially not Chloe.

The rest of the day went by and Juleka forgot the oddities she had seen by the time her stomach reminded her it was almost time for lunch break.

''Alright kids, remember to study for thursday, this is an important test and your futures depend on it!'' The teacher said before getting his things from the desk and leaving, a few minutes before the bell rang.

Juleka and Rose were walking down the classroom towards the door when the goth noticed that, once again, Chloe was acting strange.

''How was class, not too hard, was it?'' She seemed to be teasing Nino and Alya, the later trying to suppress a chuckle. No one else seemed to be paying attention to the group, as it was not that weird spotting them interacting. They didn't seem to be friends, per se, Chloe still ate only with Sabrina at lunches after all, but they spoke to each other a lot more than any other person did with them after the gala… Not to mention that the blonde had more of a connection to Marinette now than Rose or Juleka did.

Juleka couldn't hear the rest of the conversation, as Rose kept walking her away from the room. But she did not like how jokey and comfortable Chloe seemed to be with Nino specially. Her frown deepened as she filled her tray of food while her girlfriend happily chattered about today's selection by her side. Juleka nodded along and tried to pay attention, but her efforts were once again disrupted by the sight of Chloe subtly dragging Nino out of the cafeteria minutes before the break was over.

''I'm going to the bathroom, I'll see you back in class, ok?'' She said to Rose, then speed walked out of the place.

Juleka cautiously looked around, searching for her targets. They had only left seconds before her, but were already out of the hallways? She picked a side and started walking, already thinking that this was stupid. Why was she so paranoid? Maybe they wanted to have a private conversation about Adrien, for all she knew. In fact, that made a lot of sense, now that her head finally came up with it. Chloe was Adrien's childhood friend, Nino was Adrien's current best friend, of course they had shit to talk about, now that the boy could be dead for all they knew.

Giggling came from the door she just passed. Juleka stopped on her tracks, that was Chloe's annoying laughter coming from the library. Why would she be in such a good mood with these terrible news?

Juleka didn't dare open the door and make a noise, so she stood there listening in. Most people were still eating, so no one would see her with her ear glued to the library's doors.

''That face doesn't suit you'' Chloe's muffled voice said from inside. Nino was laughing.

''I thought my face didn't matter, that you fell for my charmsssss''

What the fuck?

Juleka didn't let Chloe reply, slamming the door open and entering the library as rage filled her veins. The goth stomped towards a very surprised and kind of scared Chloe, who just stood there and let her grab her by her stupid yellow cashmere sweater.

''Wha-''

''You!'' Juleka practically growled, holding Chloe against one of the bookcases ''Are supposed to be dating MY BROTHER!''

Chloe was paralyzed, staring back at Juleka's angry glare. But then she looked towards behind them, were Nino was.

''Umm, this is a misunderstanding'' Started saying the blonde, but Juleka was having none of it.

''Don't act dumb! I heard you flirting with Nino just now'' She let go of the blonde, still mad at her but having made the unconscious decision that she was not gonna punch her. Not yet.

''This is a misunderstanding, Jules-'' Said Nino, grabbing her shoulder. Juleka then turned around and pointed a finger at the DJ.

''Alya doesn't deserve this!'' She then took a couple steps back, still not believing what she had just witnessed. ''Luka doesn't deserve this!''

''He-'' Chloe tried to speak again.

''No! I have proof now! You should not be with Luka and I knew that from the beginning! I'll tell him and this circus will be over!'' She wanted to be happy to finally have a good reason to not trust Chloe, but she was just mad.

She discovered in that moment that she, very deeply buried, had hopes for Chloe to be the person her brother thought she was. Tears streamed down Juleka's eyes, ignoring her efforts to remain in control.

''Jules…'' Said Nino, again with a nickname that he had no right using. Specially not with that filthy mouth of his, now that she knew what she did.

In that moment and before anything else could be said or done, Alya entered the room looking at her phone.

''Marinette said she's about to arriv-... What's going on?'' She asked the moment she looked up from her phone towards the people in the room.

''That's what I'd like to know!'' Exclaimed Juleka, her face still wet from the tears ''Why is your boyfriend flirting with my brothers girlfriend?!''

Alya frowned and looked at everyone in the room. She didn't even look mad, maybe she didn't believe her. Juleka felt the rage filling her again, but before she could say anything else Alya spoke.

''Alright, this is officially a mess'' She commented raising her hands, not a hint of jealousy or anger in her voice.

Juleka stood in the middle of the trio, utterly confused. She looked at all of them and her sight stopped in Chloe, who was staring at her with… worry?

''Can we just tell her, please?'' Asked Chloe in a soft voice ''This went too far'' She looked at Nino as she said that last part.

Nino was the only one with the correct expression. The guilt on his eyes as he stared at Juleka was the only thing in this room that made sense.

''I told you guys to be careful'' Commented Alya in a mocking tone, then took a seat close to them and stared at her phone again. She started typing in it, probably texting someone. ''You are the guardian'' Said the reporter, lifting her gaze for a second to look at Nino, then ignored them again.

The DJ sighed deeply, then started approaching Juleka. She hadn't talked to any of these people in months, and had nothing to compare their behavior to, but still she found herself thinking that they were acting weird. Not just because the betrayal didn't seem to be the main topic of whatever this conversation was anymore, but because they seemed to be communicating with their eyes something that Juleka knew would explain all of it. If they told her, that is. She frowned.

''What is going on?'' She asked, feeling herself calmer but still distrustful of these people.

Chloe and Nino stared at each other with a look that Juleka interpreted as ''say something'' in their strange eye language, then the blonde went to the library doors and locked them. Juleka's body started going on alert mode again at this, but then Nino approached her and put a hand on her shoulder.

''Sit down, please'' He whispered, his gaze on hers full of resignation.

She hesitated for a moment, but Nino kept his hand on her shoulder and kindly forced her to sit. She decided to comply for now, specially if she was going to get any sort of explanation. Juleka hoped that it would at least be an honest one. She crossed her arms and looked at the three of them. Alya was distant, still on her phone, while Chloe and Nino regarded her the way parents sometimes look at their children when they need to tell them they have to move out of the house or something. It was bizarre.

''Well?'' She demanded.

Nino looked at Chloe one more time, and she smiled at him with a warm and kind smile filled with worry that Juleka was sure didn't belong on that face. The DJ then sighed again, but smiled back.

''I'm the guardian, I guess'' He whispered to himself, but she could hear it. She had no idea what to think of those words yet, but she decided to be patient and wait for the explanation that surely must be coming.

''Hurry up, class is about to start'' Said Alya from her spot, still not looking up from her phone.

''Alright, take it down, foxy'' Said Nino, standing in front of Juleka with his arms crossed and starting down at her.

''Glamour, off'' The goth heard Alya say, but she didn't dare look away from Nino's form. Nino's melting form. What. The. Fuck.

The DJ's features rapidly transmuted into someone else. His skin got paler and a couple inches were added to his standing form, still staring at her. There, on the exact same spot that Nino just occupied, was her brother.

''Voilá'' Said Alya, amused. Juleka's vision danced after that.

''Great job, geniuses'' Commented Chloe dryly after Juleka fainted on the chair.

''Jules, Jules wake up'' Luka shook his sister with urgency, the girl groaned a bit but thankfully started opening her eyes.

''Luka? Why are you at my school?'' She asked, still confused. And who wouldn't be? These idiots did everything backwards!

Chloe knew they didn't have long and , yep, there it was, the bell. Lunch break was over.

''We don't have time'' Said her boyfriend, holding his sister's shoulders with both hands now.

''Want me to put the glamour back on?'' Asked Alya, finally looking worried about this whole mess as she got up and tucked her phone back in. Luka shook his head.

''No, we need to explain to her first''

''Please…'' Said Juleka, completely alert again and looking between all of them with wide eyes.

Chloe sighed.

''Alright here is the plan, Alya will get us out of this library so we can calmly explain to Juleka what is going on, then when everything is clear we come back to class, late if we need to'' Commanded her, full Queen Bee mode, the fox and the snake nodded at her.

''I guess we can make up an excuse for missing second period later'' Commented Alya as she got closer to the rest of the group.

''Hello? Why is this locked?'' Said a voice from outside the doors, the sound of someone trying to force them open suddenly filling the room.

''The librarian…'' Whispered Chloe. ''Hurry!''

At that, Alya called quietly for her transformation, while Luka held Juleka in case she fainted again. Thankfully, she didn't, she just gaped at the sight of one of Paris heroes inside her school.

''Mirage'' Said Rena Rouge just seconds before the person outside opened the doors and got in, frown in her face.

The woman looked around, searching for whoever locked the doors to her working place. Her gaze completely ignored the side the four of them were occupying, then she shrugged and started walking towards her desk after closing the doors behind her. Chloe noticed that Luka had a finger on Juleka's mouth, her eyes were wide open still staring at Rena.

''What now?'' Asked her boyfriend in a whisper once the woman was out of sight.

''We are invisible, but we need to get out of here'' Whispered Rena looking around''We could use the window'' She suggested. ''I'll carry Chloe''

Chloe wanted to protest, but realized that this time it was someone else's turn to be on the arms of the snake. She sighed then climbed Rena Rouge's back, who immediately after started going towards the window, walking as if Chloe didn't weight a thing. Superpowered suits did that for you. Behind her, the blonde heard Luka call for his transformation, followed by a tiny gasp coming from his sister. Chloe couldn't check what else was happening because Rena jumped out of the window in that moment, and she supposed Viperion with his cargo were not far behind, because the fox didn't slow down until she reached an empty flat roof, surrounded by flowers.

After the four of them landed, Alya took her flute out and played a few notes, apparently taking the mirage out. She then de-transformed and started feeding her kwami, all in front of a really, really confused Juleka. Chloe saw her boyfriend hesitating, not moving either to transform back or to talk to his sister. She let out another sigh.

''This is not a dream, is it?'' Asked the goth, looking at her brother for reassurance.

''No, this is what I've been doing this whole time, Jules'' Said Viperion, finally recovering his guts.

''You are a superhero…'' Whispered Juleka in awe.

Luka de-transformed then, and Chloe decided to give them the space she could in this roof so that they could talk. She already knew the story anyways. Alya had the sense to do the same, and both of them took a corner of the surprisingly beautiful rooftop they were at.

''Why do you look so sad?'' Asked Alya in a whisper, not wanting to interrupt the other two as Luka explained everything to his sister.

''What?''

''This is good news, once Juleka finally knows what her brother has been doing, she will finally accept you, too'' The optimism in that statement caught Chloe by surprise. She was still not completely used at having other people knowing her deepest desires, boyfriend included. Sabrina had always been close, but there was just some stuff Chloe didn't like talking about with no one, not even her teddy bear.

''I don't know about that, I'm still me, not a hero, just the girl that got famous because her childhood friend turned out to be Chat Noir''

''Woah, Chloe your self esteem is surprisingly low, did you know that?'' Alya teased, still in a really good mood despite everything. Chloe glared at her.

''I'm joking, sorry… But seriously girl, this is good!, now she will start seeing all the effort you put into helping us, and how honest about it you really are'' Said the reporter, smiling warmly at her.

''And if, despite that, she still hates me?'' Annoyingly, her eyes started tearing up a little as she spoke ''I won't have excuses anymore…'' She would just have to accept that her mistakes had no redemption, no way back. And Luka would end up paying for it, too.

Alya just stared at her for a moment, then hugged her and started rubbing her back. Chloe was not crying anymore, just those two single tears that got out without her wanting to, but the embrace felt good anyways.

Adrien didn't want to talk to either Simon nor Plagg as he packed his things. They were doing all of this surprisingly relaxed, considering the whole world by now knew about their location. They had a quiet lunch just moments before and were now finally starting to move, once they made sure the teen was no longer weak. Adrien didn't miss the fact that the tickets to Paris were no longer on the bed where he tossed them.

He felt a big warm pressure on his shoulder, then looked back to see Simon staring at him with a frown.

''What?'' He asked, all his effort to avoid talking completely forgotten once he saw that the man had some real worry on his eyes.

The gorilla grunted, then picked up his tablet and started searching for something in it.

''Here we go…'' Adrien heard Plagg say on his back.

Simon found what he was looking for and then offered the device to the teen, who took it not without suspicion. He knew they would try to convince him to go back to Paris, but he honestly had no idea how. The ex-model looked at the screen, which showcased a news article. An official one, not from those blogs that took news and wrote opinions about them and were full of publicity, but one from the oldest newspaper in France.

''Paris's trial of the century will begin next week, as Hawkmoth finally agreed to a deal with the government's lawyers and the Superhero Laws take a firm hold on the French National Assembly'' Read the title of the article. Adrien didn't need to read the rest.

''We go to Paris'' He announced. No more arguments required.

He needed to be there with his father, his friends. This was the deadline, he had to be present on that court to give his point of view, he had to coordinate with his team what information would they give up in order to set things right again… He had to be there.

He would see Marinette again! He realized with a sudden joy that drowned all the other worries he had. He started packing faster, then briefly inspected the room along the gorilla to check that they left nothing behind.

''Finally some sense entered that brain of yours'' Commented Plagg sarcastically as he uselessly floated around, not even bothering to pick his own stuff up.

Adrien ignored the comment as he happily started to open the door, bag on one hand.

There were two men outside, blocking his view of the hallway. No, not two men, two miraculous wielders. The dragon and the moth finally found him.


	9. Clashing

''Hello, kitty cat'' Greeted Antoine, infusing his voice with as much sarcasm as he could so no one else would notice how nervous he really was.

Adrien Agreste wore a panicked expression upon seeing the two men at his hotel room door, but it quickly changed into determination as he called for his transformation and got ready to fight. Behind him, the huge bodyguard growled and started moving towards the hallway, probably to try and place himself in between the two agents and his charge. Agent T. didn't let that happen, however, because he transformed too and pushed both of them inside the room with the brute force only a miraculous could provide.

Antoine turned into the moth and followed inside, where Chat Noir was staring at the dragon, frown in his face and anger and frustration oozing out of his heart the same way the waves were trespassing the walls of Saint-Malo outside. The older man felt his own mind and heart being divided, the conflict between his duty to his family and the fear of what might his partner do to the kid still very present for him, even though he finally decided to give his location to T.

It had been a tough choice, but the moment he felt that Adrien decided to go back to Paris was what made him decide to finally ending this. He would keep watch on his partner, though, and make sure they took the miraculous without damaging the kid too much. That's the lie he told himself to keep from doing anything stupid as he watched the dragon use his electric powers to charge the metal knob on the hotel door behind them. Anyone that tried opening it to interrupt their fight would get a painful surprise.

Chat Noirs anger grew upon seeing this, he lowered his posture like a panther about to jump its prey would.

''Leave innocent people out of this'' Warned the hero, staring at the dragon straight in the eyes, ignoring Antoine completely.

The moth took that chance to strike the bodyguard, as he knew the man would not wait for them to have a conversation about morals to defend his boy. He wielded the staff as a sword and charged against the huge man, who repelled his attack surprisingly well for a seemingly normal human (Though huge) armed with just an umbrella. This prompted the other two to start fighting too, but it didn't take long for the dragon to score a hit on the cat. Antoine heard voices outside, calling for order in the hallway as they approached the room with the electrified door. This must have been what distracted the hero enough to get hit by the sword on one arm.

Antoine used his staff to keep the bodyguard busy, but saved his attention mostly for the other two. It was obvious that Chat Noir wanted desperately to warn the people outside to not approach this room, but his partner did not care one bit. Instead, the dragon took the chance to almost get another hit on the cat, who dodged and used the momentum he got from that to approach the door, screaming the name of his power. Antoine got distracted by his own fight to see exactly what happened next, but he got to see the results. The door got completely destroyed by the cat's powers, and the people outside were staring into the room now. He heard a policeman call for backup, and then an angry growl from the dragon.

T. was getting angrier and angrier as he realized that this would not be a private fight and that even though they were powerful, if the police started shooting at them their mission would get a lot more complicated. Not to mention dangerous.

''You made me do this'' Said T. in a low voice.

Before anyone in the room understood who or what was he talking about, the dragon used his second power: Wind. Like in the gala, he made a wall that repelled anyone that tried to bypass it, just a lot smaller. Problem was, he made it too small. Antoine and the bodyguard, along with the people that started crowding the hallway of the hotel, were left out, and inside the eye of the tornado only stood the dragon and the cat, who started fighting again. The bodyguard stopped trying to fight the moth as they didn't even have enough space to do so, but before he could try to get inside the tornado using only brute force, someone else did it from the door, or at least Antoine guessed that was what happened because he heard a scream and then the panic started coming out of the other bystanders. Antoine saw the gorilla stopping as close as he dared from the windwall, trying to peek inside. The agent knew it was a futile effort, as the winds blew the curtains from the hotel and obscured the action in the eye of the tornado from them. But he could feel the anger coming from both miraculous wielders inside as they fought. Chat Noirs intense frustration came the moment that poor bastard on the hallway got flown away by the winds to who knows where, and his partner was dangerously close to losing control of his own emotions.

Antoine wasn't sure what should he do at that moment. The bodyguard lost all interest in fighting him. Any other man would have felt insulted at someone not even in possession of a magic suit who deemed them not worth their time, but the moth was honestly relieved. As they ignored each other, their attention now fully on what was going on inside, Antoine decided they needed to watch. He felt his partners rage growing and, as he started fearing the worst, he used his staff to pull the annoying curtain that was spinning around them out of the tornado. The pull of the winds was incredible, but his superpowers prevented him from getting blown away before he managed to take the cloth out of the tornado. Finally, they could see somewhat what was going on. And it was bad.

The dragon had used his third power and, Antoine wasn't sure how exactly, he trapped the cat hero inside a water prison. He was drowning him.

''I'm doing a favor to the world by getting rid of you!'' Said T. with a desperate tone to his voice. Antoine could still feel that terrible anger coming from the man, but it also sounded as if he was trying to justify his actions not just to Chat Noir, but to himself.

''I didn- didn't do anything-'' Chat Noir tried to say, his voice muffled by the water surrounding him. He couldn't finish his sentence, he shouldn't have opened his mouth in the first place, thought Antoine worriedly. In less than a minute, that kid would lose consciousness if his partner kept that up.

The dragon didn't seem to have listened to the hero, and he kept talking about how Adrien protected his father, a terrorist, from going to jail but then let a girl die for doing pretty much the same. How no one should have the miraculous powers, not even his own father. Chat Noir was not listening anymore, his eyes half closed as he struggled inside the water prison. Besides Antoine, the bodyguard was getting desperate, pacing from one side of the room to the other, like a caged tiger, trying to find a way to get in and help. Chat Noir let out his lasts bubbles of air, but T. just kept on talking.

He had to do something. T. was going was going to kill the kid.

''I'll use your power to do what you should have done a long time ago! I'll destroy all of the miraculous!'' The dragon was still screaming at the barely conscious boy that floated in front of him.

Antoine took a butterfly out from a flask where he kept them. He hated using this power, honestly, he sucked at it. But there was no other way. He infused the white creature with power and, without thinking of giving it any orders (He knew he had to, but he was in too much of a hurry to think of something) he just let it fly away. The butterfly flapped towards the only other person the akuma had access to: The desperate bodyguard.

There were no words to exchange with the man, Antoine just let the power do what was familiar for them, and that was how the giant gorilla destroyed the room they were in as it angrily growled at the world.

Gorizilla was too big for the six story hotel, and Antoine could feel the building around him breaking apart at the weight and height of the monster he just created. A monster he was sure would not let him control it. So he braced himself for what was coming. The first thing the giant gorilla did was try to break the windwall, which was almost comically dispatched after getting in contact with a huge fist that blocked the winds. T. looked up at the monster in fear and surprise, then he stared back at his partner, searching for answers.

But Antoine was beyond trying to reason with the man, and also beyond caring what he thought. He already made his move, betrayed the organization the moment he decided he didn't want Adrien Agreste dead. The boy in question, finally released from the water prison, coughed on the floor and then tried to regain his footing.

''Wha-'' Was all the hero could mutter in confusion before Antoine's creation finally made the mistake the agent was waiting for.

Gorizilla smashed the ground where the dragon was standing, still stunned by the betrayal. Antoine couldn't even see if his partner managed to escape the massive blow because the building finally collapsed around him at the impact. The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was Chat Noir dragging him away from a giant piece of concrete that would have surely buried him if it wasn't for the hero. His head hit something when both of them landed on the rapidly crumbling ground and then, darkness.

Ladybug raced across the rooftops of Saint-Malo, Carapace following her a few houses behind. He was not the fastest, but this was not the moment to wait for him.

As soon as they arrived at the train station they heard the news: An Akuma attack. It was so bizarre both of them were stunned in confusion after hearing it, but then they saw the screens on the station showcasing the event. It was Gorizilla. The familiarity of the Akuma explained almost everything, and the confusion Marinette felt was replaced by panic in an instant. Adrien was under attack!

The red heroine heard before seeing the giant beast. The growl was almost like a cry, thought the girl as she approached the scene. There were several collapsed buildings in a row, and the monster was in the middle of all of it, seemingly searching for something with a frantic desperation to his movements. It was doing more damage than good, as the giant hands of the akuma were not made for carefulness, which was what you needed in order to not make the damage worse than it was. Ladybug saw the hurt people coming from the rubble, and the sirens of ambulances and police filled the air around her along with the cries of pain and fear.

''What is happening?!'' Asked Carapace as soon as he landed besides her, a few seconds later than she did. His voice dragged her out of the shock she now realized was taking a hold of her body and mind, and the started to move.

''We need to purify that Akuma so I can use miraculous cure on these buildings'' She explained her plan, not needing to look at the turtle to know he was nodding and getting ready.

The heroine started scanning the beast, pushing away any thought of Adrien trapped inside the collapsed buildings, suffocating and hurt, and concentrated on finding the object that kept the bodyguard Akumatized.

''There!'' Pointed Carapace at a tiny object in the middle of the disaster. It was a gorilla plushie.

Ladybug was not sure it would be the same one Adrien had kept from his mother, but it sure looked like it. Action was better than just standing there waiting for the monster to open one of its fists to reveal anything else, so they rushed towards the little toy. People finally noticed their presence and started cheering, but Ladybug ignored it. Just as she was about to reach the abandoned object, a butterfly came out of it without them needing to even touch it.

And then it disappeared.

''No…'' Whispered Ladybug, watching as her chance to fix all of this vanish in the air just a couple meters away.

''Adrien'' She heard Carapace say beside her, and then both of them were screaming the boy's name, just like the rest of the people surrounding the disaster were screaming the names of their loved ones.

''ADRIEN!''


	10. Rescue

Antoine woke up in darkness. The first thing he felt was not the pain on his bruised ribs or his probably broken nose. No, the first thing the seasoned agent felt was all the despair surrounding him, all the people around and their confusion, their panic and their pain. It stunned him for the first few seconds, rendering him unable to think and distinguish between his own problems and those outside of his head. But Antoine was a professional, he'd been dealing with these kind of emotions all his life, whether it was feeling them himself, or inflicting them on others. So he lifted up his head and, as his sight adjusted, managed to look around.

The first thing his eyes were drawn to were the butterflies, the only source of light in the otherwise black space that miraculously didn't collapse on him further. The second thing he noticed was that he was not alone. He could distinguish the cat hears and the shape of his hair lying on the floor a couple steps from him.

''Kid, hey, you awake?'' Asked the man, still not daring to move much for fear of making whatever wounds he had worse.

The only response he got for now was a pained moan, but it was enough to elicit a sigh of relief from the man. At least he wasn't dead. The next most pressing issue was the monster he had created, Antoine could hear its cry and the mini earthquakes his movements outside the collapsed building were provoking. This pocket of air that kept Antoine and Adrien alive would not last much longer if the giant Akuma outside wasn't stopped. And then he sensed her.

He used his barely practiced communication power to see what Gorizilla was seeing, just in time to realize that Ladybug was rushing towards the plushie that was the anchor for the butterfly. Except Antoine was aware that the plushie didn't just hold the Akuma that kept the transformation up, it was also the container of something else. With the clamor of the fight he hadn't realized that the object was already taken, but now he could feel the immense struggle coming from it.

Now, Antoine was not an expert in anything miraculous, but he somehow knew that the plushie must not be destroyed. So he did what he should have done anyways, he called back his Akuma. Except, instead of coming back to him as it should have done, the tiny butterfly crumbled and vanished into the winds, its vitality and energy disappearing from his perception.

''Wha-'' His confusion got interrupted by the coughs coming from the boy lying a few meters from him. ''Kid?'' He asked, finally truly seeing the condition the hero was in, now that there was not as much dust dropping on them from their fragile ceiling.

It was not good. He should have payed more attention, Antoine mentally scolded himself as he did his best to approach the boy without damaging himself or the flailing structures around them. He could hear the metal and stone of the building grinding against each other around him, gravity continuing what Gorizilla started. Somehow, he and Adrien had ended up under two big pillars that collapsed into each other, forming a flimsy tent of safety where they barely had enough space to crawl and breathe. He was grateful nonetheless.

By the time Antoine reached the boy, his eyes finally got used to the dim light the butterflies produced around them, and he could now distinguish what was human being and what was hard material. In the case of Adrien, both things were mixed in a pile of blood and rock.

''Oh kid…'' He lamented as he carefully posed one shaky hand on the piece of pure rock that covered the lower part of the boy's body, not sure if he should really test his strength against it for fear of hurting the boy further.

It soon became obvious that unless he found the way to move this boulder and hold the delicate materials above them both at the same time, there was no way for him to save the kid. The worst thing was that he was probably half crushed under the rock, even considering the resistance the suit gave him. Antoine's chances were not that much better either. Yeah, he was not as hurt, but he had no way of getting himself out even if he didn't care about saving the kid. There was also no sign of his partner.

Antoine started thinking about the last words he heard from the other agent when a sound interrupted him. It was a hacked chuckle, the ghost of laughter suppressed by rock and metal.

''Hey! Don't talk or you are going to hurt yourself further!'' He scolded the kid, moving closer to where his head was.

He was still in his Chat Noir form, which was a good sign, but it was basically the only one. And he kept laughing, looking at something on the other side from where Antoine was. The man couldn't suppress his curiosity, thinking it might be something good that the kid saw, but when he squinted to see what the cat must be seeing with his night vision, his heart sank. It was a Le Chat Noir poster, the typical old Art Nouveau piece that was a staple of Parisian culture had somehow survived the crash of the building and was staring at them from the wall that kept it in almost one piece.

Chat Noir kept giggling at the poster until bloody coughs interrupted him, and then the pain must have been too much to bear because he seemed to be afraid to even groan. Antoine took that moment to detransform and take his coat to use it as a cushion for the kids head. For the first time since waking up in this nightmare, the boy recognized that he was not alone and stared at Antoine in the eyes as he helped him. The man wished that the pity in his eyes wasn't too obvious.

''T-thanks'' Muttered the kid, somehow still conscious and transformed under the weight of a building.

''I'll get you out kid'' Antoine promised in a sudden fit of determination. The hero didn't reply, but the man could see that he didn't completely believe him, even if he believed in his intentions.

He started looking around again, desperately trying to find a way for him to communicate with the people outside. He knew he didn't imagine Ladybug being there and quickly decided that she was the key to save the kid. He just hoped he would hold long enough for her to find a way to reach them.

''Akuma'' Said Chat Noir's weak voice.

The kid was numbly staring at the few butterflies that fluttered around their confinement, following with his gaze one that ended up posing itself on the same boulder that kept him on the ground. Antoine frowned, and then facepalmed. Of course! He realized that Nooro was shakily floating close to him, looking as nervous as ever. The tiny creature seemed to do its best to avoid looking at the fallen hero, but when Antoine called for his attention with a piece of bread he got out of one of his pockets, the Kwami started acting like himself again. Somewhat.

Once Nooro was recharged, Antoine called for his transformation back and then quickly grabbed an Akuma. He realized his plan was extremely flawed, there was no way that Ladybug would trust him at all, but he had no more ideas and the kids time, their time, was running out.

''Fly away little akuma''

Ladybug subconsciously knew that acting the same way the civilians around her was not gonna do anything for her partner, but her mind refused to work. Carapace at her side was questioning people about what happened and she vaguely heard some of their answers. This was a hotel, they didn't know, two men got in without permission, They got most people out before the collapse but many were still inside when it happened. That was almost the same as knowing nothing, it didn't change the fact that her incredibly unlucky partner and love of her life was most likely crushed inside the remains of the building.

''Maybe I can dig myself inside and then create a shelter to keep more ruble from falling on them…'' Suggested Carapace once he got back at her side.

Ladybug was just staring at the disaster now, still holding the gorilla plushie that she didn't get to destroy in time to get the akuma. She needed both to use her lucky charm and to purify the Akuma in order to fix this, but when the stupid butterfly just vanished in front of her eyes without her doing either of those things her mind went numb. She had no plan. Ladybug had no idea of what to do and that only meant that there was nothing else to do.

''Mari…'' Carapace whispered close to her, one of his hands on her shoulders. She didn't realize when he did that gesture.

''Mari we need to do something, Adrien is in there, we have to-'' He was doing his best to swallow his own panic, but his efforts were hindered by the fact that she was not doing or saying anything. They were not screaming their partner's name anymore.

''Please…'' Whispered Carapace, no longer able to hold the tears back.

In that moment, something caught Ladybugs attention on the corner of her vision. A light purple butterfly. An akuma? But it was not dark purple like the ones she had seen before…

The girl was too numb and disoriented to realize at first that the Akuma was flying directly towards her, but the green hero at her side did. He grabbed her and started pulling her out of the way, but something in Ladybug woke up in that moment. Hope.

''Wait, it's not… It's just floating there now'' She pointed at the butterfly that was, in fact, just fluttering right in front of them instead of going directly at either of the heroes or any civilian.

Ladybug frowned, still confused, but slowly realizing that this Akuma was different. Not just the color but… the energy it emitted. It was not negative, she had been close enough to plenty of akumas to know the difference. She extended one hand towards it, inviting it to fly over to her, but Carapace took her arm in a violent movement and forced her to drop it by her side.

''What are you doing! It's an Akuma!'' He sounded terrified, but Ladybug had no time for this.

''It's our only hope'' She said, still not completely sure if this was the right move yet.

The turtle hero still refused to let go of her arm, so she forced it out of his grasp and walked the couple of steps between her and the tiny butterfly. She reached it with her hand and stood there, shakily waiting for it to make its move. After fluttering around for a couple more seconds, the weird akuma finally approached her, it flew around her arm and then it went down to her waist, possessing her yoyo.

''Oh thank god, Ladybug? I'm-'' A voice said in her head, the same way that Hawkmoths voice must have sounded to all of his victims in the past.

''Where is Adrien?'' She cut him, knowing that if she didn't keep her concentration where it mattered, her mind would find its way to desperation again.

''He's here with me, he's badly hurt but...I'll give you the power to come for him'' He offered, asking for nothing in return.

Ladybug merely nodded, conscious of Carapace's little gasp of horror behind her as she accepted the transformation.

''Rescue, you have now the ability to get reach the place you need to be at and help people in need… please hurry'' Said the voice on her head, an urgency to him that rushed her to action the moment she felt the transformation was over.

''What…'' Commented Carapace but didn't get to continue with his line as she took his hand and started walking towards the building.

''Ladybu-'' He tried again.

''I'm Rescue, come with me we need to get our cat out of there'' She said, showing determination on her voice that she didn't truly feel as true.

Carapace followed her after hesitating, though he had no choice because she kept dragging him by the hand. When they both were close to the rubble and she didn't stop walking he finally started struggling.

''Ma- Rescue! What are you doing?!'' He questioned her, but she kept walking, not letting go of his hand.

She simply had no time to explain, but the moment she did a step that should not have been possible she felt the hero stop trying to force himself out of her grasp. He must have understood what her new power was, because the last thing she heard from him before both of them started walking inside the building as if it wasn't there was a sharp inhaling.

It was like when you walked into one of Alya's illusions, except Rescue was sure that it was her and Carapace who were intangible and not the building. As they searched for her partner, she tried to do her best to ignore the couple of very dead people that she saw buried beneath. She also did her best to suppress the terrible feeling of walking across them and focused on the knowledge that Adrien was not one of them.

Neither her nor Carapace dared to talk while they walked, and soon they found the pocket of air that miraculously kept both the user of the moth miraculous and her partner alive. When she was sure it was safe to do so, she let go of the turtle's hand and kneeled by Chat Noir's side.

''Oh Adrien'' She said, sobs starting to opress her throat.

She knew this was not the time, but she couldn't help the tears clogging her vision again at the sight of her partner's condition. There was a giant piece of rock covering the lower left side of his body, up to his chest. There was no way a normal person could have survived this, but he was still transformed and breathing, though it looked like more blood came out of his mouth than air. Her shaky hands hovered over his body, too afraid to touch and hurt him further, then she realized she was not able to heal him. She was Rescue, not Ladybug, yet she did feel something.

''You can preserve him'' Said the man by her side, which she recognized immediately as the moth.

She suppressed the rage that filled her brain for a hot second after realizing that the man was almost unscathed by the building. Even if he was the reason her partner was in such a condition, he was also the only reason she made it this far, after all. A piece of metal clanking against the floor reminded her that time was not their friend at the moment, as if the barely conscious and bloody form of her partner was not enough reminder.

''Carapace, shelter please'' She ordered, not taking her sight from the cat.

''M-my lady?...'' Asked Chat Noir with a shaky and soft voice. She could see his eyes doing its best to focus on her face, but he was barely keeping himself awake as it was.

''Shhh'' She put a gentle hand on the side of his face, feeling him relax a bit at the contact. Rescue was using her powers on him, making sure his state didn't deteriorate while she was touching him. It wasn't the same as healing him, but it also didn't make her faint.

She didn't like it when he closed his eyes, though, and panic made her move again. Carapace created a green bubble around them, holding their space from collapsing. Rescue stared at the other two with her once that was done, and was grateful for their understanding of her instructions as she placed both hands under the boulder that kept the cat glued to the floor. Carapace and the moth took positions around the heavy rock and, at her count, the three of them lifted it thankfully on the first try and then placed it on the spot at their side. The whole process had been quick and clean, but Chat Noir screamed in pain the moment they moved that thing out of him. She placed placating hands on him to keep him from squirming on the floor and damaging himself further while at the same time she did a quick inventory of his wounds. It didn't look good, but as long as he was alive she knew she was going to be able to heal him, she reassured herself.

''Hold on bro, we will get you out of this'' Whispered a worried but level headed Carapace as he kneeled by the cat's side too.

''Can you make the shelter opaque?'' She asked looking at her friend's face for the first time since they got out of the train. His face was a mask of worry barely held together by a stern determination, much like what she felt was holding her in one piece as they rescued their friend.

Carapace nodded without asking further, and then she looked at the man that was silently watching them as far away as the confined space they had let him be.

''I can't use both of my powers at the same time'' She informed the other two, Carapace nodded and the moth seemed to be bothered by it, but said nothing.

She had noticed it when she touched Chat that first time, as soon as she started using her preserving power she knew she would not be able to make herself or anyone else intangible. Which is why they had to take the rock that way instead of making her partner phase out of it. She was not gonna let go of him, not even for a second. She signaled with her gaze for Carapace to do his thing, which was his first plan: Make the shelter bigger and give them space to move.

''We will walk out of here with the shelter, it will destroy the building even more but I can't use the phasing power on all of us and keep Adrien alive at the same time'' She said, her voice full of authority. ''I don't know where to go, though…'' That last part, on the other hand, was just a murmur full of doubt.

''We can take him to my hotel room'' Suggested the moth as he got up on his feet once the shelter was big enough for his height.

Carapace frowned in distrust, but didn't comment while Rescue nodded at the man, accepting his offer. He was already helping, she could be grateful now and question his reasons later.

Once everyone was ready to start moving, Rescue gently grabbed the cat hero, who was quietly staring at all of them through lidded eyes, and started walking. Carapace moved the shelter around them as they advanced and the noise it made was loud enough to mask the whimpers and hissing coming from her partner at every step she made. Her powers were preserving him, keeping him alive, but they didn't seem to prevent him from feeling the pain of the wounds he already had. She only noticed his plight because she was the one carrying him and could feel his flinches and trembling. Rescue wasn't sure if him being awake was a good or a bad thing.

The moment they were outside and no longer surrounded by rubble was very obvious, as the noise was replaced by gasps and awed exclamations from the people that still surrounded the area. One thing stood out over the others, though: A low, desperate grunt and a couple hands knocking on the shelter. Rescue looked over at Carapace.

''Let him in'' She ordered, and the turtle complied immediately.

In the next second, a sort of door opened for the bodyguard and the man got inside, desperately looking around for his charge. He seemed confused for a second after not recognizing Rescue, but when he saw Chat Noir on her arms he visibly relaxed. The heroine, on the other hand, was not gonna be able to be truly calm until she made sure her partner would be fine.

After a brief conversation with the moth, they decided to trust him for now and go to his hotel room, as they had no time to rent another one. Rescue noticed that the only thing that the bodyguard managed to salvage from the disaster was the plushie, which was already outside thanks to his akumatization. Her mind would not stay focused on any other worry other than the one in her arms, though.

Carapace dropped his shelter once they were sure no cameras were following them, then they continued their way towards the man's hotel through the roofs, leaving the bodyguard behind with the address. Rescue didn't want to waste any more time to start healing the cat, specially considering the fact that he was still stubbornly awake for the whole trip. Once they entered the correct room using one of the windows that the moth left open for similar purposes, she placed the wounded hero on one of the beds, making sure that she would not stop touching him any moment.

''It will take me days to get him in good enough shape to travel back to Paris'' She said, mostly to Carapace, whose transformation was about to run out.

''What about him?'' Asked the turtle making a gesture with his head that pointed at the agent.

''I can leave if you want, but I don't think you would want me to'' Said the man with a serious tone, very much unlike the one he had used previously when talking to her in the past.

She thought about what he meant for a moment, but the only thing her tired mind provided was that she could use him, if he really wanted to help. And if he didn't, well, keep your enemies closer, was the phrase, right?

She nodded, and in that moment the moth dropped his transformation, revealing a man in his thirties with dark skin and curled hair. The thing that stood the most about him, as she noticed the first time she saw him, was that horrid scar that crossed his face. He didn't have it while transformed into the moth. The agent nodded at them, a small but sincere smile on his ruined face.

''I'm Antoine, by the way'' He said, then disappeared on a door that probably connected to a room connected to the one they were in.

''Are you sure we can trust him?'' Asked Nino, his transformation dropping once the door next to them closed. He was quickly feeding Wayzz, taking these precious seconds before the man came back to recharge his suit.

''I don't know, but I'd rather keep him close for now'' She had not been in the best place as a hero lately, but she still trusted her instincts. And they told her that trusting Antoine for now was ok.

''I'll start healing Adrien now'' She announced, knowing that Nino would understand what that meant.

''Wait, what about the agent? he will see who you are!''

She hesitated. Nino was right, of course. But in that moment all she cared about was saving the love of her life, her partner, her kitty. She would deal with the consequences of potentially revealing her identity to her enemy later.

She let go of the akuma keeping her transformed into Rescue, a surprisingly easy task considering what she thought she knew about the butterfly miraculous powers. Apparently, when it was not a negative possession, the user was in complete charge. Then she dropped her Ladybug transformation too, no use keeping it up as her healing powers didn't depend on it to work. She made sure the transition was quick so that Adrien wouldn't have more than a second without her help. When she started healing him, he finally relaxed, though his eyes had been closed since she laid him on the bed she knew he was still somewhat awake.

Marinette cuddled next to the boy in the hotel bed, not caring that Nino would see such an intimate action. She held his hand in hers, much the same way they had slept together long ago, when he had just destroyed the remains of his mother and freed his father from his obsession. This time, however, she couldn't just sleep. She started pulling more and more of her power, making sure that the most dangerous of his wounds were rekniting first. Tikki silently cuddled next to her, not commenting anything on her dangerous use of her powers.

Marinette was barely keeping herself awake when she heard Chat's breathing calming down, and then a green light covered the room for a moment, revealing a dark haired boy where the blond hero just laid. She wanted to touch his dyed hair and play with it, but she had no energy to spare for that.

''Nino'' She called, vaguely aware that the boy was still there.

''I'll protect you both while you heal him'' He said from the other side of the room, judging by where his voice came from Marinette knew that he was probably blocking the door to the room where Antoine was.

''Thank you'' She whispered ''I will pass out now''


	11. Queen

Nathalie accepted the coffee the man handed her with a stoic thank you, refusing to let it show how much the smell made her want to cry. She hadn't had proper coffee (Proper anything, really) in almost a year now, but she was also very much aware that her and Gabriel's treatment was not the usual for criminals charged with terrorism and conspiracy against the people of France. The former secretary and her ex-boss were given nice enough (Separate) rooms to spend their confinement at, instead of going to public jail like everyone else.

The man in question was beside her, staring coldly at the American that requested an audience with both of them at the same time. She resisted the urge of ignoring the foreigner completely and hugging Gabriel Agreste like she had wanted to do so badly these past months. She wanted that more than the coffee, but she knew she had to content with the beverage for now.

''So, what would a member of the CIA want with a French terrorist?'' Asked Gabriel in perfect english, the mockery on his tone concealing most of his curiosity. But she knew him, he was anxious about this.

''Please, Gabriel, I just want to talk'' The blond man smiled as he sat down in front of them. His gaze then went to Nathalie, and she couldn't help but shy away from his scrutiny.

''If I understand correctly, the French government still has no idea what to do with you, Gabriel, can I call you just Gabriel, right?'' Nathalie had the feeling that this man wouldn't care if he had permission to be so informal or not anyways. ''In any case, my government does have some ideas''

Nathalie frowned slightly, then looked over to see her boss's reaction. Nothing. Not even a hint that this was exactly what he had been waiting for all these months.

''Please elaborate, mister….?'' Spoke Gabriel after a moment of awkward silence.

''You can call me Chris'' Said the man, still smiling ''I can't tell you all the details right now, too many eyes on us at the moment, but I'm sure we can accommodate a better reunion''

Nathalie couldn't believe her ears. If that man was implying what she thought he was, then he was offering, on behalf of the American government, a release from prison for them. Well, for Gabriel at least, though there must be a reason why she was called too. Even if it was only temporal, she was pretty sure the people listening in from outside the room and watching through the cameras that surrounded them would not be happy. At all.

''I'll think about it, Chris'' Said Gabriel flashing a copy of the agent's smile. It was way more intimidating on the designer than it was on the American.

For the first time in years, Nathalie Sancoeur had no idea what her boss was planning. And she didn't like that one bit.

Luka didn't think that having to go to highschool again would be a hard task, but he underestimated how much a person can forget in a year. Not to mention that, for him, it had not been just a year since he filled his brain with useless information that even then he knew he would never use again. He was Viperion, he had all the time in the world to learn anything he wanted… and he did precisely that in the past months. But it wasn't like he was going to use his powers to re-learn math formulas and read highschool books. He was supposed to be Nino only for a couple of days, except he didn't know how much effort Nino actually put into classes, and keeping his image up was a lot more than just ending every phrase with ''dude''. At least the music knowledge was not a problem.

He could feel Alya's stupid smirk beside him as they frantically took notes. She was a lot more relaxed with her studies apparently, and didn't think that telling him beforehand that they had a freaking test that day was important. Maybe she just wanted to see him suffer. He knew Chloe was enjoying it too. And now Juleka. He sighed. Girls were so cruel.

The bell rang after what felt like an eternity, and Luka -Glamoured by Alya again to look like Nino- left the classroom along with his supposed girlfriend, his actual girlfriend right behind with her best friend, doing her best to ignore him. This was so weird.

''So, how was Mr. Sylvains class?'' Asked Alya grabbing his arm in what probably looked like an affectionate gesture by other people, but it felt like handcuffs to Luka. She liked to keep her prey in place while torturing them, the little fox. This might also be some kind of tease against Chloe, but the blond got lost in the crowd at one point.

''He's alright'' He said, not bothering to sound like Nino since there was no one paying attention to them anymore.

Luka quickly learned that If Chloe didn't approach the ''couple'' and they didn't do anything particularly weird, no one really looked at them. The snake hero supposed that Alya and Nino had been together for so long now that they couldn't possibly offer any interesting gossip for anyone, not unless Chloe was involved or Adrien was mentioned. He wished that this wasn't the case, though, and that his girlfriend could approach them like the friends they really were. Damn highschool status quo rules and secret identities.

''Oh please, I saw your face, and your notes. If this goes on longer than a week Nino's grades will drop. You really don't remember anything from highschool, do you?'' She managed to sound concerned and mocking at the same time.

''Hey, I was a good student too… But It's been a very information filled year for me. I'm not a genius, I need to choose what to keep in my brain and what is useless. And this is very useless, Alya'' He said.

She walked quietly besides him for a moment, probably realizing for the first time that time was very different for the snake hero.

''I know it's useless, I only pay attention to the stuff that might be helpful for me in case I go to college and become a real reporter… But it's important for Nino. He needs good grades to get a scholarship. Sorry this became more of a burden to you than it was, but since they are taking their sweet time in Saint-Malo…'' She left that hanging there, not wanting to explicitly talk about what they knew happened in that town.

He knew he was not a good example, but he didn't particularly like how Alya talked about her future. He heard that same tone coming from Marinette, sometimes Nino and even Chloe. When had they started dropping all expectations for their futures? Was that his fault, because he decided to not pursue a career in college and become a full time guardian? Suddenly he got the fear of Juleka going the same path, and he decided then and there, while Alya changed topics and started talking about the food in the cafeteria, that he would be more mindful of how he influenced the people around him.

''And the bread is stale on fridays, but today it's still good, if you want some-hey, are you listening?'' Said the fox heroine, bringing him back to reality.

''Sorry'' He apologized, knowing that he would never trick the reporter into believing that he was actually listening to her food advice, so he left it at that.

As they entered the cafeteria, he spotted Juleka with Rose on their usual table (At least he supposed it was their usual table, since he had seen them in that corner the last two days). Chloe was nowhere to be seen, but he already knew not to expect her to be here for lunch anyways. She usually ate with Sabrina at her hotel, and in those rare days where Sabrina couldn't accompany her to their private lunches, Luka was the replacement. The blonde did eat at the cafeteria sometimes, but she much prefered Jean's meals and her private rooms as opposed to the crowded and loud highschool food court.

Luka was starting to get a bit sad, as he realized that not even the prospect of making fun of him or watching him struggle as he imitated Nino was enough to keep her close, when he saw her blond ponytail enter the room behind him. He felt so stupidly happy as he saw her devilish smirk when she spotted them, it should be illegal. Being so close to Chloe (And seeing her in a different habitat) was the biggest perk of doing this to the selfish part of him.

''If you stare at her any longer people are gonna think for real that she's stealing Nino from me'' Commented Alya as she pushed him towards their table with her tray. ''That disaster with Juleka is enough for one week, don't you think?'' She kept teasing him, but her worry was very real.

Luka nodded and followed her quietly, doing his best to not search his girlfriend in the room.

''Hey guys!'' Greeted a short girl, sitting down besides them. Alix, he remembered. And the one that followed her was Max.

''Sup dudes!'' He said, doing his best to not blush as he heard Alya mask her laughter with a cough by his side.

''Hey'' Greeted Max quietly, his gaze fixed on Alya, too damn smart to not notice her reaction. ''What's the joke?''

''Oh, nothing, did you guys see the last episode of Ultimate Mecha strike: The animation, last night?'' Great save Alya, except he was not watching that show and if he got questioned about it he would have no idea of what to say…. Did Nino even like it?

Thankfully, they mostly ignored him as they excitedly commented on the latest events of the series. He started spacing out of the conversation when he noticed Chloe leaving early, curiously not followed by Sabrina but by Juleka. Luka had the strong urge of getting up and check on them, but he stopped himself. He had to trust them, just like he asked Juleka to trust him last weekend.

He sighed, then did his best to pretend to know the intricacies of the apparently not so cannon romance between the red and the blue robots.

Chloe let herself be followed by the goth girl, trying her best to not show how nervous she was. She knew thanks to Luka that Juleka reacted very well after learning most of their secrets, and thanks to her own observations she also knew that the goth was very good at keeping them, too. But that didn't mean she approved of Chloe, and she wasn't her boyfriend, she couldn't read what the fortuit glances Juleka threw at her in class sometimes meant.

The blond entered the bathroom and, after a brief -And disgusting- check on the stalls to make sure no one would eavesdrop, she faced the door that seconds after Juleka opened. They stared at each other for a good ten seconds before both of them opened their mouths to speak, then closed them again. Chloe really hated being awkward, but she had honestly no idea how to act with this girl.

On one hand, she really wanted to just be herself and obnoxiously pretend that she didn't care about her opinion and approval. She knew if she kept that up long enough, she would even fool herself into believing that. But if there was one thing that she had learnt the last year, is that sometimes you had to be truthful, even when it was embarrassing. And if she was completely honest, she really wanted Juleka to like her. The problem was, Chloe didn't know how to make that happen. Why did anyone like her anyways? She tried to never consider that question, because she hated not having the slightest clue of the answer, and it was specially painful considering she had a lot of people she really liked now. Including the brother of the girl that now stared at her silently in the girls bathroom, her expression unreadable to Chloe.

''I'm sorry'' It was just a whisper, even lower than the usually shy and calm tone that Juleka employed, but Chloe heard it echo around the walls of the room, clear enough.

She had to bit the typical ''Sorry for what?'' sarcastic retort that would come out of her mouth. At least she had the tact to know that attitude would not give her the results she wanted with the goth. She inhaled a bunch of air, despising how shaky her breath was, and then let it all out. Be honest, Queen Bee.

''I'm the one who's sorry'' She blurted, louder than she wanted to. ''I'm sorry I was so mean to you back then, and then ignored you completely even though I knew you and your brother were having problems because of me'' She couldn't stop now that she started, so she kept going. ''I'm sorry that I didn't even try to make sure you knew I changed for real, a petty part of me didn't want to seem too try hard, you know? I'm so stupid. I'm sorry I locked you in this bathroom so you wouldn't be on the picture… And that I swapped your food with someone else's when I learned that you were allergic to nuts-''

''That was you?'' Juleka frowned, finally an expression that Chloe would read, but of course it would be the result of her being an idiot. Again.

''Yes'' She lowered her head, not daring to say anything else. By now her face must be red as a tomato, and tears were fighting to get out even though SHE was the bully and Juleka was the one damaged by her.

And then she heard laughter. It was quiet, just like the goth was most of the time, but when Chloe lifted her head to see, her the girl was covering her mouth with one hand and giggling uncontrollably. She had tears on her pretty eyes too.

''What?'' Chloe couldn't help but let her usual tone out this time. She also had the paranoid fear of being filmed for a prank, something that she would have done in the past, but she quickly decided that she deserved it. Probably.

''You know, just because you are decent now and you are dating my brother, it doesn't mean that I will automatically forgive you for what you did to me and my friends in the past'' Said the goth when she stopped laughing. Chloe's heart sank to the floor, but nodded.

''But I can start doing it from now on, I guess… Now that I know you are not tricking people into trusting you for some sick game, or that you are manipulating my brother to be your puppet or something. That was never you… that was Lila. That's why I'm laughing, at my own stupidity. I got myself manipulated by that girl, and when she got exposed I projected that role onto you, even though you never pretended to be nice before. It's so funny! You never actually lied to be liked by anyone, did you? You just stopped being mean. That is so you, yet I chose to believe that you were the new Lila'' She had to pause for air, and Chloe took the brief moment to make sure her brain was keeping up with what was going on. She also did her best to not be offended by being compared to Lila.

''But I was just tricking myself, trying to find someone else to blame and not feel so bad about not believing Marinette… Cause you can't really hate on someone that is dead, can you?'' Chloe's eyes widened at that. Why was she the one to hear all of this coming from Juleka, when it really sounded like it was the first time she was saying these things, to anyone?

''Why are you telling me all of this? I'm the one apologizing here! You did nothing wrong!'' She said, utterly confused now.

''I was trying to figure out why no one hated you anymore, why you got accepted so quickly by a team of super heroes, by Ladybug herself, who you also bullied and made her life harder than it already was. And then by my brother, who is the sweetest person in the world. Now I get it'' She laughed softly again ''You are so unapologetically yourself, Chloe, that it's really hard not to like you. I just never gave you the chance, never wanted to see that you were always you and not a new Lila because of my guilt. So I'm going to start now. To forgive you… and I hope you can forgive me too'' Juleka finished speaking with a whisper, reflecting the same shame Chloe felt moments ago when she tried to apologize.

They stood there for a few seconds, looking at each other. Chloe had the flash realization that, in a world where she was mature enough to like other people earlier in her life, she would have probably been good friends with Juleka. This girl wouldn't have the servitude and passion that Sabrina did, but they had a lot more in common, deep down. And Chloe was finding herself more and more attracted to people that didn't want to lick her boots, as opposed to before. She still loved Sabrina, but she longed for the friendships that people like Marinette, Alya and now Juleka could offer. Again for the 100th time that week, she hated herself for how stupid she had been.

It seemed that neither of them knew what to say next, but their awkward silence was thankfully interrupted by a random girl from another class entering the bathroom, looking at both girls in their staring showdown with a raised eyebrow, then doing her business. Once the girl left, Chloe couldn't help but snort and a second after, both girls were giggling in their hands.

''I'm probably supposed to say something like 'If you hurt my brother you'll regret it' or something, but I think there are a lot of… powerful, people on the watch for that'' Commented the goth once they both calmed down again. The atmosphere between them became a lot more relaxed, so Chloe allowed herself to be composed again, and started fixing her hair in the mirror as if their previous conversation never happened.

''Oh? I'm still Queen Bee, I can defend myself'' She teased, checking her makeup now. Juleka stood there, crossing her arms but smiling.

''Luka told me you don't have your miraculous, though. How are you Queen Bee without the 'Bee' part?'' Teased the goth, Chloe snorted again.

''At least you acknowledge that I'm a queen''

Gianna Rossi entered her house, locking the door behind her. She took her coat off and tossed it on one of the couches, revealing the elegant suit she wore under. The cold outside was awful, but thankfully her servants kept the chimney lighted for her return. She had to rehire a lot of people after months and months of being a useless alcoholic, but now that she pulled herself together, her house looked at lot more like what it did before.

To anyone watching her, Gianna would appear completely recovered from the grief and the vices. She knew the truth, though. Her grief was stronger than ever, she had just realized that her being all depressed was useless. That night she opened the door to Lila's room she got disappointed at not finding her daughter, a clue to what happened to her, or where the voice was coming from. But after a while, she realized that she did find something there, in between the dust accumulating on the floor and the furniture and the pain the lack of life that room had inflicted on her. She found the need for revenge. Not justice, like she thought she was working towards before, when she tried to get that kid arrested along with his father. She needed them to pay for Lila, now, not for the world.

So imagine her despair at going back to her old life as a politician, when she found out that not only was the trial this weekend, but that Gabriel had all the cards at his disposal to get a very mild punishment for his crimes. Imagine her fury when she found out that the police were no longer pursuing that damned cat, and that the media announced for the boy to hear that he was pardoned and could go back to his life. Like nothing happened, like he didn't murder her little girl in cold blood for a much lesser crime than what his own father committed for years.

Gianna didn't care what the forensic team and the other heroes and the government had to say about it, that cat deserved to suffer for what he did to Lila. Everyone was an hypocrite! Pretending that those kids were wiser than any other high schooler just because they had superpowers, bah! And Gabriel Agreste, the only adult that had access to such power, used them for his own gain too. Whatever that was, for all Gianna knew, the man still refused to answer completely what he wanted the miraculous for.

And, the worst part was, that the information the man was hoarding was the key for him to get a deal out of anyone, any government. A lot of powerful people wanted to know more about the jewels. She saw the Americans leave the building where Gabriel was being held. She had no time!

Gianna's demeanor changed from the poised woman that entered her house after a day of work, to the frantic mother in grief again. To anyone watching her, it would be clear that her daylight form was just a ruse, a fragile copy of what that woman used to be. The real Gianna was a thirsty void of anger and sadness, climbing the stairs of the house and barely containing her shaking hand as she opened the door to her dead daughter's room.

The place was exactly as she left it last time, not a single mote of dust disturbed from its spot. But Gianna knew there was something inside, not just memories and vestiges of a teenager girl.

''Talk to me'' She ordered, not really caring that her voice didn't exactly sound commanding, but afraid.

''Took you long enough, Gianna'' Said the voice, echoing all over the room. ''Come''

The woman hesitated again, but decided to gulp down her fear and give the first step inside the room. The dust around her foot elevated and started immediately staining her glossy black stiletto. She didn't know where she was supposed to go next once she reached the center of the room, so she decided to wait there, in the darkness, for the voice to speak again. Laughter resonated around her, making the already nervous woman even more doubtful of her own choices. Gianna looked at the door, contemplating the option of just leaving and forgetting everything again with a cup of wine, when the feminine voice spoke once more.

''Let's play hot and cold'' Said the voice, no longer resonating around the walls but sounding as if someone was standing on the room with Gianna. A person, not a ghost, no longer ethereal.

The woman understood quickly what she had to do. The voice started laughing again, but now the politician could tell it was not just to frighten her. She was supposed to find where it came from. The voice started yelling ''Hot!'' and ''Cold!'' and ''Warmer!'' at every step the woman made around the room, until she finally found the hottest spot. A Jagged Stone poster on the wall.

Gianna was puzzled for a moment as she stared at the image, but then lifted it, a hunch tugging at her mind, and found what was she supposed to be looking for. A hole in the wall. A hole that she was sure was not there when she bought the house. A secret hideout her daughter left behind.

''Congratulations!'' Said the voice, a slight tease on her otherwise friendly voice.

Gianna grabbed the box inside the hole with her two hands and, knowing that her shaky arms would end up dropping it, quickly placed it on the bed and sat down next to it. It was an octogonal shaped box with a bunch of red symbols in it. She didn't need to know those symbols or what was inside to know that this box was special, because of the red smoke coming out of it. Gianna opened it, and the first thing that caught her eye was the red monocle on the center, where the symbols of Chat Noir and Ladybug were. She grabbed it, ignoring the rest of the jewels for now.

''You are now the first owner of the Miraculous of Revenge!'' Said the voice, coming from a dark red creature that appeared besides her as soon as she grabbed the smoking monocle.

It was the ghost voice.


	12. Parents

The sound of laughter woke Marinette up before the hunger and different aches on her body did. She ignored the later two for now, growing increasingly curious about what was going on in the room next to hers as she slowly stood up from her position next to Adrien. She spared a glance at the boy who was still sleeping somewhat peacefully, a bit of sweat on his brow and a slightly ragged breath the only clues of his still ongoing fever. The girl placed a gentle hand on his cheek and took real notice of the changes in his face in the year he had been gone. His features were as beautiful as ever, but he was getting further and further apart from the soft looking boy she met years ago. The biggest change, however, was his hair. She smiled fondly, trying to picture either Plagg or Simon struggling to reach the parts of his scalp that Adrien would not be able to check for himself as he turned his blond hair into the black that now surrounded his face. He had completely missed telling her about this little detail on his letters, and she started to wonder if it was one of his efforts to shield her from the pains of his new life, or if he simply had done it after the letters stopped coming, when the loud cackle on the other side of the room reminded her of her previous curiosity.

Marinette pulled up the scarf she had been wearing since... she didn't know how long anymore (She vaguely recalled going to the bathroom at one point, but nothing else), effectively covering half of her face. She recognized Nino's laughter, but he was not alone and she assumed the other person was the agent, as she had a real hard time picturing the stoic bodyguard laughing like that. Her body was so strained from the healing that she had to stop a couple times before reaching the door, but she got used to it enough to conceal it by the time she opened it and stared silently at the scene on the next room.

Nino- No, Carapace, was sitting in the queen sized bed next to the man that not so long ago was their enemy (And for all Marinette knew, he might still be) and Simon, Adrien's bodyguard, legs crossed. The three of them formed a triangle and each held a hand of cards, and Marinette figured that whatever made the agent and her friend laugh so much, it was probably something to do with Simon's red ears and shamed expression as he hid behind his fan of cards.

''Oh, M-Ladybug! you are awake!'' Carapace said as he finally took notice of her presence at the door. The agent had to turn his head around to see her, but the man said nothing, just smiled and waved. ''How is Adrien?''

''He's out of danger now'' She informed cautiously, not sure of what would be prudent to reveal in front of the mysterious man that had both endangered and then saved her partner. ''What is this?''

''This… oh! well, it's been boring here while you two were unconscious, so… yeah'' That was all the explanation Carapace offered, his dark skin concealing most of the blush that plagued his face. ''You were out of it for two days'' His tone serious now.

Marinette was not really surprised by that. Adrien was so badly hurt -Don't think about it too much- that she knew it would take a huge amount of energy just to keep him out of danger. And in this case, it translated to her being just as out of combat as he was. For two straight days. That explained the hunger and the stiffness.

''In that time, Simon here learned the fine art of cheating at cards, though he is no master by any means, not yet'' The agent said this time, taking Marinette out of her inner musings and worries again. Carapace snorted.

''Yeah, if you saw what he just tried to pull off'' The lighthearted tone and the laughter were probably exactly what Marinette needed at the moment (Along with a shower and lunch..) but she had some questions for the agent before any of that happened.

The agent -Antoine- Marinette remembered, sighed, probably knowing what her silence meant. He left his cards on the bed and turned around, ready for the interrogatory.

''Why would we trust you?'' Was the first thing that came out of her mouth, taking priority over everything else that she wanted to know from the man.

Antoine opened his mouth and then thought better about whatever he was going to blurt out (Some kind of joke, Marinette guessed from what she had seen so far) and closed it again. There was a pause while he looked at her with his dark eyes and his scarred face.

''You shouldn't'' He said, again shifting from the jokey tone he used earlier to the one that screamed 'scary man that probably killed some people in the past'. ''I'm.. I was working for people that don't mind doing harm to you in order to get your miraculous. If I were you, I'd strip me out of mine instantly and send me to jail, honestly''

''But?'' She asked. There is always a but. Antoine smiled.

''But I can be of service to you, instead. I can tell you everything I know from the organization that wants the jewels, though it's not that much it is more than what you would learn on your own, I can assure you that. I can tell you what their protocols are, how they act and I also know some of their faces.'' He was sounding less and less confident on his sales pitch as it went on, probably due to Marinette's very practiced 'I don't buy bullshit' expression.

''For example, right now I can tell you that there are several other agents in Paris for sure, doing recon probably, waiting for a chance to get their hands on one of these'' He pointed at the moth pin he was still wearing. Nooro was silently sitting on the bed next to Simon, looking between everyone in the room with a nervous demeanor. ''I can also tell you that the man who owns this whole shitshow, Mister M., is a very powerful and rich bastard who took over that temple that appeared on Tibet some years ago. That's where he got his thirst for the miraculous'' At that, Marinette finally let her surprise show in her face.

''What? What temple?'' Carapace asked, confused.

''The guardians! The protectors of the knowledge and traditions around the miraculous!'' Nooro said, the worry on his voice reflecting what Marinette was feeling at the moment.

''If that is true then… they must know all of our secrets'' She whispered her biggest worry out, knowing full well that there were people in that temple that needed rescue yesterday, too.

''Nah, I don't think they do. Those monks are hard as the stone that temple is made of'' Antoine seemed to catch late that the implication of torture was not a good thing to mention to the already stressed teenager, because his next words were obviously meant to calm her down. ''On the briefing I got before I went to Paris a year ago, they didn't mention half of what I learned on the first day on the city, just watching you guys. Not to mention all that I've learned from having a miraculous myself. They probably still don't''

The words did have an effect on Marinette, as she exhaled a breath she didn't realize she was holding in. The girl then decided to sit down, as standing there on the door was getting uncomfortable for all of the people in the room.

''Ok even if what you say is true, which I can't really take at face value…why would I keep you around even after I learn everything you know? I should strip you from the butterfly miraculous this instant, actually'' She lifted a hand as she spoke that last part, only to be stopped by no other than Nooro. Marinette frowned.

''You want him to have it?'' She asked after a short but very tense silence. The kwami nodded, surprising not only Marinette and her team but the agent as well. He had obviously not been expecting that, he didn't even try to shield the jewel from her grasp just seconds before.

''Why?'' Asked Antoine, taking Marinette's words from her.

''You are a good holder'' The kwami merely said, floating back to his seat on the bed and ignoring the stares of everyone in the room, as if he didn't have to say anything else.

''You cocky little-''

''Alright'' Marinette interrupted the man before he could finish swearing. Why was he even mad at Nooro? ''You can stay for now, Antoine. But give me one reason, and I'll make sure you fear black spots on red for the rest of your life'' She hoped her threat was sound, but it didn't really matter.

''Oh I've seen you go all out, miss. I think I prefer a rich wicked man as my enemy over you, thank you very much. '' His light tone was back, but Marinette believed him. He was there when she became Creation, after all. She sighed.

''I'll do my business on the other room, then go back to heal Adrien so we can leave'' She announced as she moved back on the door, her mind still full with the new information and wishing for a warm shower even harder than before.

''I'll order food for you'' Said Carapace, following her.

As she passed the other room on her way to the bathroom, she glanced at her still sleeping partner. At some point since she was awake, Plagg had moved from his spot next to Tikki on a pillow to cuddle next to Adrien's face. Marinette smiled and as quietly as possible grabbed her phone from the nightstand and took a picture, zooming in on the kwami. Nino, having dropped his transformation for a bit to feed wayzz, giggled behind her.

''He's gonna be furious once I show this to Adrien, he hates it when people know how adorable he can be'' She commented, leaving the phone behind again and finally, finally! reaching the bathroom.

The warm water and the good half hour that she gifted herself on the bath helped her mind become clear. And as it did, Marinette realized that her instincts, against her worries and paranoia, told her that trusting Antoine was alright. For now.

...

Antoine was wondering if their game would continue or if he should just clear the cards when Simon grunted next to him, in the way that the agent (Ex-agent) had learned in the past days that the bodyguard asked for attention.

''Yes?'' He asked, always amused by the fumbling the man made when he was required to 'speak'. He either grunted in annoyance, giving up on whatever he wanted to communicate as he had low tolerance for frustration (And Antoine's hobby was being frustrating) or he would start looking for the tablet or something to write on.

This time, however, Simon was ready, pointing the screen of his tablet to him. ''Thank you'' It read, confusing Antoine for a moment until the bodyguard pointed at the gorilla plushie that decorated the bed.

''Ah… I wasn't sure what it was, at first, a-and then it destroyed my butterfly... you are welcome, I guess'' Antoine didn't remember the last time his words came out with such difficulty.

But he did remember the last time he felt a knot on his throat, threatening with the emotions he had learned to keep concealed since. That time, a stranger woman thanked him for having helped her kid on a fire, not knowing that Antoine and his organization were the ones who provoked it in the first place. Why was it that misplaced gratitude got him so hard? He wondered, swallowing the lump and giving his back to the bodyguard.

''What are you looking at?'' He asked Nooro, trying to force anger… any other emotion, actually, to replace the indescribable one that almost overwhelmed him seconds ago.

''You are a good holder'' Said Nooro again, smiling at him.

...

Alya barely had time to pick what she was going to eat from the bakery when the others arrived, minutes after she did. Sabine greeted them with her casual attitude, used to having most of them on her house by now. Alya didn't want to think that the woman's smile seemed a bit forced.

Luka and Chloe closed the door behind them as the group entered the more private parts of the Dupain-Cheng house. As soon as they were out of sight from the street, Trixx and Sass floated out of their hiding spots and greeted each other with a hug. Alya didn't miss the look Chloe had whenever she looked at other kwamis.

''Grab whatever you want sweetie, Tom and I will be at the bakery if you need anything else'' Said the woman after leaving a tray full of different kinds of delicacies and breads on the coffee table.

''You don't want to stay? We have some news from Marinette'' Said Luka.

Sabine smiled again but kept walking away from the group.

''Alya already told us the basics, once you are done talking you can help us with the room for Adrien'' Said the woman, then closed the door without waiting for a reply.

It was true, the second she got past the greetings she told Sabine what Marinette had asked of her. The woman didn't question outloud why her daughter would inform Alya of her request rather than going directly at her, but there was a bit of hurt on her features for a second that the reporter didn't miss. She knew why, of course. Marinette simply didn't want to force her parents to host a hurt, missing person who might attract more bad luck than what it was healthy. So she asked her best friend to subtly ask if it was alright that Adrien stayed with them for who knows how long after they arrived from Saint-Malo. Both girls knew that they wouldn't deny their request, but Alya's best friend liked to keep her parents options open, let them be free to, well, parent. If by any chance Adrien couldn't stay with them, Master Fu's apartment had an extra room too, but that would mean Marinette would have to move with them while healing the cat, or at least spend most of her day there. It was a lot of trouble for something that could have been over with just a call from daughter to mother, but Alya complied without questioning it too much, remembering her own insecurities regarding her parents...

''So what are we doing to do about classes?'' Asked Chloe, cutting herself some bread. She started eating it without butter or anything on it, the monster.

''Oh, that will be no problem'' Said Alya. ''We won't have any classes for a while''

''What, why?'' Asked Luka, his mouth full of bread too.

''You both went to school with me today, didn't you? Pay attention! Anyways, it's because of the weather'' She let it hang there, avoiding the topic of the horrid temperatures and blizzards that plagued their days lately.

They ate in silence for a while, each of them probably thinking the same thing: This was due to the unbalance between the miraculous. The news kept talking about climate change and what not, but Alya and her friends knew the truth. Ladybug had been losing control over her powers, her good luck was stupidly out of proportion and Chat Noir had the worst luck in the world right now. Something had broken the balance in the last months, maybe even before that, and they still had no idea how to fix it. Alya had hoped that them finding each other would solve their problems, but it was obviously not the case, she thought as she looked out, towards the dark evening and raging winds. If it wasn't for their suits, she would worry about the way back home after this reunion.

''Well, at least I won't have to say 'dude' ever again in my life'' Luka tried to lighten the mood.

''You just did, idiot'' Teased Chloe.

''It's catchy dude!''

They forced themselves to laugh for a while, then went back to topic. Since there was no more school, Marinette could be with Adrien all the time they needed to be together, both to heal him and to, well, enjoy each others company at last. But there was one major problem with that: Marinette was prone to overusing her powers.

''Can't we just tell her to… not?'' Asked Chloe, cringing at her own words.

''Girl, if you think Marinette is going to let Adrien suffer for ANY reason, let alone for herself, you are so, so wrong'' Said Alya. Chloe obviously knew this, hence the cringe.

''I also don't want Adrikins to suffer! But we can't be without Ladybug either...not now''

And that prompted another tense silence. The other topic they had been avoiding so far, could not be avoided any longer. The agents, much like the ones that were following Adrien, that were spotted tailing them last night.

''Would it really be so bad if all heroes went into hiding for a bit?'' Asked the reporter.

''Ladybugs carefully maintained image would suffer. With this weather, heroes are basically the only ones that can safely go out and help people. It doesn't help that it's also our fault'' Chloe responded, and she would know these things, as she had been interacting closely with the media and the people up in the chain that will eventually decide what happens with miraculous wielders.

''And it's our duty to help'' Added Luka. ''Not to mention that I get the feeling that Ladybug being inactive is part of the reason why the balance is tilted towards chaos right now''

''What do you mean?''

''Well, Chat Noir has been active all these months, right? He has been using his powers and so far as we know, he hadn't had any problem with them other than his bad luck. But Ladybug's lucky charm started failing, so she stopped using it. So...um, to put it simply, there has been more 'destruction' being used lately than 'creation'. Those two miraculous come in a pair for a reason, and this might be part of it'' Explained the snake hero, his theory reinforced by the two kwamis nodding besides him.

''Masssster is right, the cat and the ladybug are the….parents, of the other miraculousss. They repressent the origin of the world and of all of us other kwami. Balance between them is the most important thing, if one is using their powers and the other isn't it caussses problems'' There was a tone on what the snake kwami was saying that hinted at something Alya was sure the tiny god knew, but wasn't stating.

Then again, the little gods knew a lot of things they didn't talk about, for one reason or the other. So far it didn't cause problems, as they always learned things when they needed to, but not for the first time the reporter wondered if this would be the exception.

''Parents? You said parents, as in, the other miraculous are children of, what, Plagg and Tikki?'' Asked the blonde.

''Well, kind of. The word that 'parent' replaces doesn't exist in our language, but those two were the first kwamis, they were born when sentience was born. The rest of them are born from concepts or ideas that came from humans too, but each of them are differently attached to Destruction and Creation'' Explained Luka. Alya's head was starting to hurt, but she understood.

''So, you mean that, for example, Trixx is related to… Creation? I suppose, more than to Destruction? ''

''You are correct, Misss Alya'' Said Sass.

''Illusions require a creative mind after all!'' Exclaimed Trixx, proud.

''What about Pollen?'' Asked Chloe.

''Son of destruction, definitely'' Guessed Alya, smirking at the face the blonde made when she said it. She was still such a Ladybug fan, even after everything that has happened and with all that she knew, that even this little thing was disappointing for her. Silly Chloe.

''Yes, it destroys the will, the freedom of movement. Commanding others is also a form of change, if forced'' Luka said and, like Alya, very much enjoyed teasing Chloe on her fangirlism.

''Well, of course, I'm Adrikins best friend'' She defended herself, crossing her arms.

''Sure, sure'' Said the reporter. Trixx giggled by her side.

''Some miraculous are more neutral than others, but they are all related to Destruction and Creation one way or another. None of them are inherently evil or good, either, but balance is always a must'' Luka continued with his mini-lecture.

''I thought we were all meant to be heroes'' Commented Chloe, Alya nodding in agreement.

''Yes and no. I don't have the texts that explain this better, but for what I understood from the grimoire and Master Fu's lessons, the miraculous are there as a manifestation of humanity, well, of sentience… '' Was he implying aliens existed? Alya briefly wondered, amused. ''But they are manifestations of neutral concepts, always. Destruction is not always bad, Creation is not always good. That sort of thing. But the monks made it so that the jewels were used mostly for good… because, well, because bad is always stronger, for some reason. It doesn't need the push of superpowers to persist''

That was grimm, thought Alya. But it ringed true to her. Even if the world had as much wonder as it had tragedy, the later was usually more… loud, than the former. She always hated how there could be a hundred good comments on her blog, but the moment someone ignited a controversial thread and it got out of control (Fast, as usually these things did) she had to shut down the whole comment section or else she would have to spend hours of work making sure nothing else catched on fire. In her mental analogy, miraculous users would be extra moderators, equipped with the tools to ban the right people on the right time. She giggled at her own private joke as the others kept talking. Mostly Luka trying to explain this same thing to Chloe.

''So there have never been truly evil miraculous, then?'' Asked the blonde after she got tired of Luka trying to convey complex ideas into her brain with stupid analogies just like the one Alya made on her head.

''Not that I know of'' Said Luka, but Alya was watching Sasss closely. And, just as she expected, there it was. A flicker of… something, on the kwami's face.

That little snake knew something, and was worse at hiding it than Trixx would ever be. But that didn't mean Alya had the right to force it out of him. She just made a mental note on it, for now. 'Evil miraculous, trigger warning' said the memo on her head.

''Anyone wants some cocoa?'' Sabine entered the room, tray already carrying three deliciously smelling cups before any of them had the time to be excited about the prospect of chocolate.

After drinking and deeming their meeting more or less over, they went with Tom and Sabine to what would be Adrien's new room. Chloe had brought new beddings and Luka stole a couple of Master Fu's books. Alya didn't have much to offer, so she offered herself to come and help whenever it was needed. She was also the only one that stayed later than the rest, to help Sabine with the last little details on the room.

''Thank you Alya, but it's late now, you can go'' Said the woman, grabbing all the cleaning utensils the reported had on her hand, taking them from her almost forcefully.

''If you need anything else Sabine-''

''I know, go home to your parents'' The woman was still smiling, as she had done the whole day, but after hours of working and presenting herself impeccably before others, her mask was starting to crumble.

Alya wondered about that as she reluctantly started walking towards the entrance of the house. Tom was still at the bakery, though it was too late (And too cold) for any clients, so he was just… pressing buttons on the cashier and sulking. The moment Alya made her presence known, followed by Sabine, Tom straightened up and smiled. Same expression as the woman. Alya couldn't take it anymore.

''C-can I ask you something?'' She said timidly.

''Anything sweetheart''

''If you knew all this worry would be in your future, would you rather not know that your daughter was Ladybug?''

Sabine and Tom's faces dropped. Alya asked for her own parents, even if she was truly concerned with Marinette's, she had been wondering for months now if her parents had a right to know of her second life. She had been so mixed about it, because on one hand, it would help so much with so many things, and she knew at least her mom would be cool with it, her father might need a bit more work but he would accept it in the end. He really liked foxes too, and Trixx being able to roam the house freely would be so nice… But also, the worry, the fear, the secrecy, her sisters. What they did out in the streets was not exactly safe. So she looked at her best friends parents as their expressions finally matched what was inside their hearts this whole time.

''I'm not gonna lie to you, Alya. This has been really hard for us. We worry, we are terrified of learning one day from one of you that something went wrong with our little girl… or worse, watching it live on TV'' Said Tom, taking over from Sabine who looked like she couldn't talk any longer. Specially not about this.

''We worry'' He was speaking softly, with a graveness that Alya had never heard from the man before. ''But worrying is our job, as parents. One of them, anyways'' He smiled a bit, this time genuinely, if small. ''We are grateful for the chance to help her in everything we can, not every parent gets it. We also know that not every parent can deal with this in a way that lets you kids keep your freedom. We know all of that, and yet we worry. But it's alright, we signed up for it when we had that amazing girl seventeen years ago''

Alya left the bakery and glamoured herself to be invisible. No one would see her transforming into Rena Rouge and taking the roofs on the way home. No one would also see her as her tears froze on her cheek, as the fox heroine thought about her parents and her best friends parents, and doubted every choice she had made so far while also being grateful for having what she had without having to make any.

...

Someone in the reviews said that the spacing between the scenes and changes of POV was empty, I'm so so sorry for not noticing this earlier. There is a little thing that is supposed to be in there, but this site doesn't read it for some reason and leaves it empty. Sorry if it caused confusion so far );

I'll try fixing it for the next chapters. Thank you for reading and reviewing!


	13. Connection

Adrien Agreste opened his eyes in the middle of the night, illuminated only by the faint light from the city lamps outside of the hotel room. He could hear the wind, the rain and the waves, raging as hard as ever against the stone walls of Saint-Malo. He could also see the girl lying by his side, sleeping quietly with one of her hands on his chest. The teen didn't dare to move, afraid that he would undo the healing that Marinette must have done on him while he slept if he did. He remembered enough to know that she probably exhausted herself just to keep him alive, and knew that, unless a week or more time passed, which he hoped it didn't, he would still be pretty weak and battered. She had healed him enough times in the past for him to know her methods, Marinette was a smart girl, if just as self sacrificing as himself sometimes, she would have used her energy only on the worst of the damage and left him with all the little pains, the bruises and the stuff that would not leave anything permanent on him. Which still hurt.

So he laid there, looking at the sleeping face of his girlfriend while his body woke up slowly, not keeping up with his mind, already racing. He had so many questions, so, so many. First of all, what happened and where were they?, How did the fight end?, Where were Nino and Simon?, What happened to the agents, both the one that helped him and the one that almost ended his life for good?... What was that story about destroying all miraculous?

''You should go back to sleep'' Said a voice coming from the opposite side from Marinette. He sounded mad.

''Plagg'' Whispered the ex-model, his voice hoarse. He winced once he saw the face his kwami had as the tiny god floated above his eyes.

''You are an idiot!'' Plagg said, not bothering to contain his anger any longer. ''A big dumbass, that's what you are! you almost died back there!'' The kwami then proceeded to actually slap his cheek, though it had no energy to it.

''I'm sorry Plagg, I should have listened to you earlier'' Adrien's voice broke as he said it, his eyes watering.

''Oh no, I'm the one that should be crying here! I almost lost you!'' Plagg's voice broke too, but before Adrien could see any tears, the kwami was hugging his face.

''Listen to your friends… to me, next time''

Adrien was about to reply when he felt Marinette move next to him, then push herself up with both arms and, after blinking a couple times, stare at him in silence while Plagg floated a couple palms away from him.

''Mari-'' He got interrupted by his second slap of the day. Again with no energy, though this time he wasn't sure if it was because she was, like Plagg, trying not to hurt him, or because she was just too drained from keeping his ass alive to do it properly.

''I suppose I deserve that one too'' He said, not taking his eyes from the girl in front of him, whose eyes, much like his own, were filled with tears too.

''Damn right you do'' Commented Plagg, moving from his face to a pillow on the other side of the bed, where he supposed he would snuggle next to Tikki.

Marinette seemed to wake up completely and realize what she had just done, because her face became a tomato and she covered her mouth with both hands. She started mumbling apologies but he stopped her with one hand.

''I'm so sorry! I didn't do what I was knowing- I mean I-''

''Nope, those were your true feelings, my princess, and I accept them'' He said, not able to contain his smile any longer, if only to see her stumble on her words a bit longer. He just couldn't help it, he was alive and with the love of his life again, who cared about anything else?

She collected herself soon enough after that, then immediately started crying for real, not a second between flustered cuteness and painful sobbing. Adrien never knew what to do in these moments except hug her tightly, but he was still lying on the bed, his torso raised by pillows just enough to see around the room, his wounds still not assessed. He hesitated for a good second but then he couldn't resist it any longer. He pushed himself forward with both arms, trying to sit on the bed so he could hug his girlfriend and console her, but his plan did not go as expected.

''What are you doing you idiot!'' She exclaimed after he fell back on the pillows, the pain on his ribs and, well, everywhere, too much to contain his moans.

But all was not lost, because she had actually stopped sobbing for a moment to lean closer to him, close enough for his arms to reach the back of her neck and pull her towards his body. It hurt again when she landed on his chest, but he didn't let go. Adrien hugged Marinette just like he would if it was the only thing that kept one of them from falling to the abyss. He felt her heart beating against his own, her breath on his neck and though her body was not as warm as his, her face was particularly hot against his skin.

They stayed there for an untraceable amount of time, until both of them calmed down and got comfortable in the position, until Marinette started sobbing again.

''I missed you so much'' Her whisper was barely audible, muffled by his neck and the pillows.

''I missed you too'' His voice was just as hoarse as when he woke up, made worse by the shaking the incoming tears were provoking.

She sniffed a couple times, then wiped her eyes on his neck, which made him giggle, prompting another fit of pain that he did his best to ignore. Marinette then got up, sitting on the bed once more, and looked at him, face to face, then kissed his cheek on the same spot she had slapped earlier. Her smile afterwards lasted only a second, for she noticed something that erased it just as fast as it appeared.

''Your eyes are glowing'' She pointed out.

Right, Adrien thought. The last permanent punishment he had gotten from becoming Destruction before he was ready, his eyes now had an unnatural cat-ness to them that became a lot more apparent when it was nighttime, such as that very moment. At least his pupil was normal.

''Well your hair is red'' He said back, letting her know he had noticed the tips of her hair losing their usual tint.

''Yours is black!''

''And you got prettier''

''And you need to shave''

They kept going like that for a while, but then Marinette got tired of sitting and moved to a similar position that Adrien was in, besides him and with her head on a bunch of raised pillows. Their faces turned, they didn't want to stop staring at each other.

''We need to stop doing this'' There it was, Adrien thought. The serious topics coming in.

''Doing what, exactly?'' He asked with genuine curiosity. There could be so many things on that open statement that they needed to stop doing, and so many that he really didn't want to.

''You getting hurt, me waking up next to you after saving your ass''

''But I like waking up next to you'' He said, not helping the tiny smirk that surfaced after seeing her blushing cheeks.

''You know what I mean! don't get all frustrating on me now, you alley cat!'' She said, trying to sound mad but she was smiling all the way too, still blushing, her thoughts probably lingering on his flirting.

''I know what you mean'' He said. ''But it has always been my job to be the distraction and to receive the blows, and yours to make plans and then fix everything after'' She didn't like that one bit, because her frown erased all the other pretty lines her face was making as she stared at him.

''Well that shit is going to have to change. We are no longer fighting Akumas or sentimonsters, the miraculous cure does not work as it once did. Everything is different''

''Not everything'' He placed a hand on her cheek. ''I'm still just a cat in love with his lady''

She seemed to really like his hand there, so he left it. Adrien wasn't sure what time it was, but judging by the slowly clearing sky, it was nearly morning. He still had a lot of questions.

''What happened?'' He asked after a while, knowing that neither he nor Marinette would be able to go back to sleep.

It was too soon to lose sight of each other again.

...

A very well dressed man in his sixties paced frantically across a carpeted room. He was surrounded by a weird mish-mash of furniture and decor, all of it extremely expensive-looking and of various origins. He held a phone to his ear, but once the beeping stopped and a lady started speaking, he threw it to the wall, breaking it instantly. A knock on the door followed right after, and the man had only seconds to pull himself together and present his large image as he had always done in front of his employees: A powerful man, feared by those that knew of him, venerated by those who followed him, respected by the few that knew his real name. Such a man did not lose his temper over his brat not answering his calls.

''Come in'' He said, his voice firm and commanding. He let the approaching underling see the mess he left with the phone. Mister M. didn't have to explain himself to anyone.

''Sir'' Greeted the agent, a seasoned woman with scars all over her face and body, her gray hair on a ponytail. ''We lost another one''

Mister M. listened to her report while he watched outside his window, the privileged view he had of the temple still not boring him even after a year of visiting regularly. The weather up there was incredibly inconvenient when nothing weird was going on, but it had been downright deadly these past months. He watched at the towers of the temple being constantly hit by different sizes of ice rocks, the wind powerful enough to carry ones bigger than a man's head. The lights of most of the temple were shut down, as he didn't have enough people at the moment to warrant the need for so many rooms. The monks were carefully stashed, all together, in the west part of the edifications, while his rooms and his men were at the center. But most of his ''operation'' was done at the underground, where both the libraries were being slowly but surely translated and some rooms were transformed into... interrogation chambers.

''Is that all?'' He asked when Asha, one of his most loyal agents, finished her report.

''Yes, sir''

He nodded for her to leave, then he moved towards one of the couches and started massaging his temples. The loss of yet another man to the weather was bad news for mister M., unlike what he'd rather pretend it to be. There had been too many deaths recently to keep disguising them as mere bad luck, unfortunate accidents that came with living in the mountains. And this last one was the worst of them, agent S. didn't just fall into an undiscovered cave or got hit by an ice rock. He froze to death on his own room.

''This stupid temple is supposed to be safe against the elements, damn it!'' He complained, then in a haste grabbed another phone from his drawer.

It took him a couple minutes to set it up to work, and then the first thing he did was dial a number he knew by memory.

''Answer you stupid brat'' He gritted his teeth as the phone continued to bleep on his ear, unresponsive. It was not broken or lost or even turned off, his son was just not answering it. ''God damn it Trevor''

Mister M. resisted the urge to throw yet another phone at the wall, and decided to wait until tomorrow to call again. One problem at a time, thought the man, he would have to make sure no one else's heating lost the battle against the cold in the night again first.

Then he would make sure his son was still alive, and if he was, that Mister M. was not the kind of man you ignored calls on.

...

They decided that morning that they should be heading back to Paris. Adrien was strong enough to be awake, so he would be strong enough to sit on a wheelchair and then on a train for a couple of hours. Marinette just didn't want to spend another day on that hotel, not able to show her face everytime the man on the other room had to go to the bathroom. They packed their few possessions quickly and, while everyone ate breakfast together (Minus Antoine, who ate alone on the other room), Marinette called her parents.

''Yes mom, but remember he's still recovering he needs nutrients not cake'' The girl said on the phone.

''Why not both?'' Sabine laughed on the other side of the call ''See you later Marinette''

''Later mom''

The moment the call ended, Nino and Adrien started their conversation again in full force, no longer keeping it as whispers for Marinette's sake. Plagg, Tikki and Wayzz were quietly enjoying their favorite meals, Nooro denied their invitation. 'For now', he said. The red kwami did her bit of scolding to Marinette when she woke up too, mostly because she was mad no one woke her up sooner.

''I'm ready to go whenever you guys are!'' Said Antoine's voice from the next room. Marinette rolled her eyes, but her sentiment was not shared by the other two heroes in the room.

''Mari, he's nice'' Said Nino, noticing her attitude.

''Not to mention he saved my life'' Commented Adrien.

The designer was not hating on the agent on purpose or for any childish reason, though. She just didn't like how he acted like he was in control of the situation, when in fact she was. Marinette supposed it was some bullshit tactic to make her commit mistakes, and she was not falling for it. Though, another part of her brain was telling her that maybe that was just in her head, and the man just liked being annoying.

''Seriously can't wait to get out of this room'' Said the agents voice again.

''Me two''

''Me three''

Marinette glared at the boys, but decided to keep her mouth shut and start moving. They had a train to take in a couple hours, and while Nino helped Adrien in the shower, she would be asking Antoine some more questions before she allowed him to go with them.

''Tell me your full name'' She demanded once they were alone on the room. Her face was once again covered by the scarf, but she knew she couldn't keep that going for too long, specially not in public. If this man was about to find out about her and her friends identities, she needed to know as much as possible about his first.

''Brun'' He merely said, serious. Marinette wasn't sure what she preferred, the fake joviality or the almost terrifying professionalism. She raised an eyebrow anyways.

''Antoine Brun.'' She said. ''How long have you worked for, who was it again? Mister M.?''

The man sighed, resigned to answer the questions. In just a few minutes of talking, Marinette learned from Antoine what one would expect to learn from the employee of any secret organization: Just what he knew at the moment of his missions, and not much more. All the interesting bits came from what the man confessed as his ''moments of weakness'' where he succumbed to curiosity against his own self imposed rules.

''Why were you working for them, if you can barely stand it, then?'' She asked, her tone no longer commanding or serious, but genuinely interested.

''I already told you, I started with these shitty jobs and then I couldn't get out, these people don't just let ex-workers walk away''

''It doesn't make sense, why are you doing it now, then?'' She frowned. ''You didn't want to cross a line, didn't want to harm Adrien... I can't believe that happened this late for you, you must have hurt others before, what about Lila?'' Antoine sighed again at her questions.

''This is as confusing for me as it is for you, young lady'' He shook his head, then unconsciously started toying with the Butterfly miraculous ''Truth is, I am just what you think I am, a heartless monster that kills for profit. And then I got the power to feel other people's emotions, and you can guess how well that mixed with my career path''

Marinette stared at Antoine for a good second, making sure her face told him just how much she truly believed him. She was no Luka couffaine, but she could tell when someone was hiding something. Was this man really a professional? It was obvious that he didn't want to tell her the full picture, the one that would explain his actions a bit better, and only gave her a half-truth to keep her content. Or maybe he was as good at manipulation as she suspected him to be, and her thinking that there was something else was his plan all along?

''I can see you getting all confused in there, miss. You really don't need to overthink this so much, I'm not lying… though, well, I suppose there is no way to prove that'' Said the man, his amused tone back.

''There is a way'' Said Nooro all of a sudden joining the conversation. He had been there the whole time, hiding who knows where (The little god really liked to keep his location a secret for some reason), probably listening to everything that transpired in the hotel.

Both Marinette and Antoine jumped a little at the interruption.

''The butterfly miraculous lets you know the feelings of those around you, in order to use them. Someone like you, Ladybug, might be able to know when those feelings correspond to someone's words and when they don't'' Said Nooro.

It made a lot of sense, so instead of arguing Marinette took the pin Antoine immediately offered, and called for the transformation once Nooro informed her of the correct words. The moment she was done changing, the ex-agent's story started making a lot of sense.

''This is annoying'' She said, frowning through the mask as the emotions of not just antoine in front of her, but of Nino, Adrien and the people in the rooms next to her filled her head.''Lie to me''

''I intend to do harm to you and to your friends'' Said the man, smiling through it.

''Interesting'' She commented ''Now tell me a truth I can confirm immediately''

''My hair is black?''

Marinette, as she preferred to not even think of a name for herself with the butterfly miraculous (She had no intentions of ever using it again), compared the feelings behind each thing Antoine said, and knew that Nooro's suggestion would be enough. It was hard to put into words, but she could tell that what he said, what her questions made him think, matched his emotions. It was a weird thing, knowing that Hawkmoth could have known his son was Chat Noir long ago if he just… asked. That couldn't be right, could it? Marinette shook her head, deciding to ask Nooro about it later.

''So, Antoine Brun, I just want to know one thing, really'' She could feel the anticipation and slight fear the man felt at the question, even if his face didn't show a thing. He really was a pro. ''What do you want?''

The ex-agent was confused for a few seconds, not expecting that one, was he?. Maybe he thought she would pry on his past or something, which she wanted to do honestly, but she believed his story enough now to save that for a later conversation, if there ever was one.

''I just want to see my wife and kids again, and not be a monster when I do so''

The raw pain behind that answer was all Marinette needed, even if the man's voice broke on the word 'monster' a little, and that would have been enough, his feelings were the best confirmation possible. She nodded once, then de-transformed.

''Now, Nooro, why didn't anyone know that the butterfly miraculous served as a lie detector?''

''Because not everyone can do it'' Was the answer the kwami gave them. Now even Antoine seemed really interested as he took the pin back from Marinette.

''When you use the Butterfly miraculous for evil, you close off a part of its inherent power. Empathy. It is annoying, as you said, to feel what everyone else is feeling. Not just sense it and know it, but feel it. That's what you did, Ladybug, and what I believe Antoine can do one day, too, along with other things…'' There it was again, the typical kwami 'evading giving information but giving enough hints to let you know its there, just so you know you can't directly ask about that one until the right moment' bullshit. She hated when Tikki did it, and now she couldn't help but dislike Nooro because of it too.

''Wait, so if you don't want to empathize, then you can't tell lies from truth, is that it?'' Asked Antoine.

''Kind of…but it's not all. You and Gabriel Agreste used the miraculous to create Akuma based on raw negative emotions. That is the worst way of using this power. You imbued butterflies with negative energy, contaminating them, and then forced them on people that didn't really want the power. That dulls the emotional part of the suit, and allows mean people to do harm with it. Gabriel then bonded with me, when long enough time passed with him using his powers, it was going to happen anyways, but it was too late, his heart was too far gone with his obsession to get his wife back'' Said the kwami, talking more than either Antoine or Marinette ever heard him before.

''So, what happens when you use it correctly?'' Asked Marinette.

''You saw it yourself, when you became Rescue. The person gets full control over their actions, since you accepted both the emotions you were feeling and the Akuma. You were still yourself. And Antoine used the butterflies correctly, not infusing them with negative energy to force them on people, but let it do its job on their own. That is why Rescue succeeded, were everything Gabriel made failed'' Marinette had the suspicion earlier, but now she was sure. Nooro was a nasty little troll, who didn't bother to tell Gabriel Agreste that he had been doing everything wrong for the longest time. But then again, she doubted old Gabriel would have listened anyways.

''This is a lot'' Said Antoine, rubbing his chin with one hand and inspecting the pin with the other. ''So I can't detect lies because I used the Akumas wrong in the past, and to do that I had to shield myself from using the real empathy this Miraculous provides, that correct?''

''Yep!'' Nooro nodded cheerfully. ''This is one of the emotional miraculous, along with the peacock. My wielders are either the most empathetic people in the world, makers of heroes… or people that are twisted enough to suppress part of my power to use it incorrectly''

''And I have never Akumatized anyone...Wait, does that mean that Antoine here would never be able to use the real power of this miraculous?'' Asked Marinette, though the man didn't seem worried about it in the slightest. She now knew better than to trust his face, though.

''That is why he's special! He corrected himself! And he had the connection!'' Nooro then proceeded to ramble in an unknown language, floating around Antoine's head like a dog chasing its tail. Marinette heard a giggle behind her, and noticed Tikki had phased through the door to fetch her, probably.

''He gets so happy when he finds a wielder with potential'' Commented the red kwami fondly. ''It's been a long time since this happened to him''

Marinette smiled, but then remembered the man in front of her could not see that, as she was still covered with her scarf. She sighed.

''Mr. Antoine'' She called him.

''Oh, there's respect there now'' He teased, but his smirk dropped and turned into awe when she removed her scarf, revealing her face.

''Marinette Dupain-Cheng, nice to meet you'' She extended a hand, smirking in return.

''Nice to meet you, Marinette'' He looked suddenly nervous, as he should be, she thought. Ladybug didn't reveal herself just to anyone.

''Would you like to accompany us back to Paris? The train leaves in an hour and we got a spare ticket''


	14. An exclusive party

Alya placed the macaroons on the table, just like Sabine asked her to do, then looked at the fruits of her efforts: A banquet fit for a party, which this little reunion was shaping up to be anyways. She smiled, feeling truly happy with the knowledge that in a few minutes her best friend and her boyfriend would come back home.

The bakery had been closed that day, as the weather was just too bad to make a profit. Not a lot of people were going out, and if they were, it was to buy essential things, not pastries, which was what the Dupain-Chengs were known for more than for their bread these days. Alya looked out the window and stared at the darkness for a while, the only source of light being the barely functioning streetlamps and the dimmed shine of the surrounding homes. The blizzard that raged all day long had calmed down a bit, she noticed, but if the frost on the window and the lack of people outside were any clue, the cold was still too much to make waiting outside worth it. It was almost april and winter should be making its way out, but she knew better than to trust that will happen at that point. She shook her head, thinking of all the problems her and her friends still had to deal with was a sure fire way of ruining her mood, and this was not the occasion for that.

''Alya dear, are there enough glasses on the table you think?'' Asked Sabine as she joined Alya near the window.

''I think it's fine, it's a very private reunion after all'' She winked at the woman, who just smiled at her in return. They had been keeping each other company for the whole evening now, and Alya took it as her duty to keep her from stressing too much over Marinette's trip on the way back.

''Honey, they're here!'' Called Tom's voice from the entrance of the bakery.

Alya and Sabine smiled again and went together to greet the newcomers. The group that was making its way into the cozy home was larger than what Alya anticipated. She knew that Marinette had picked one of the agents in Saint-Malo as a 'hostage, for now' (Her words), and she also knew that Adrien's bodyguard would be with them. What she hadn't realized is that they would be joined by Luka's little group too. They must have met on the way there, for she expected them to come later, not at the same time. All in all, it was a group of eight people uncomfortably trying to fit inside the small bakery, one of them in a wheelchair.

''Oh Adrien!'' Exclaimed Sabine, tears no longer contained, as she lowered herself to hug the boy.

Alya studied him while Marinette's parents pampered him with hugs and kisses. The ex-model's increasingly red face was thinner than what she remembered, and his hair was black, but if she didn't know the ordeal he had been through she would have thought he was completely ok, save for the wheelchair of course. That worried her for a good moment until he tried to get up to properly hug Tom, which everyone stopped him from doing. It was clear he could stand up, but that Marinette (And now everyone else, to the boy's further embarassment) decided to make him rest as much as possible until he was fully recovered. That included not letting him grab his own pastries, as Marinette prepared a plate just for him to pick from once the group finally moved on to the living room, where the space felt a lot less cramped.

The fox heroine grabbed her boyfriend and guided him to a little corner of the room for a second, making sure everyone knew they wanted to say proper greetings before joining them, so no one would interrupt. It was not a complete ploy to just interrogate him, of course, as Alya kissed him properly until neither of them could breathe. Then she attacked him with a rapid fire succession of questions.

''What happened, I want your point of view of things, who is that man?, How is Adrien, really?, How did Marinette handle everything?, What happened to the other agent?, Is this one trustworthy?, Why he knows who everyone is?, What will happen to balance?, Did Mari say anything about that?'' She would have continued, but Nino looked dazed enough already, and she truly wanted him to answer at least some of her questions right in that moment.

''Babe, chill'' He raised his hands in front of him defensively, but his smile betrayed his barely concealed amusement. ''All you need to know right now is that Antoine is alright, he won't attack us or betray us, at least I don't think he will...And Adrien is ok...well, Marinette still has to heal him some more, if he tries to act tough don't let him, ok?''

Alya nodded, nothing unexpected came from her boyfriends mouth yet. She wouldnt trust that man just because he said so, but she would let him be, for now. She looked over Nino's shoulder, at the increasingly comfortable group that was eating and talking like there was no tomorrow at the center of the room. Adrien was all smiles and he was eating a lot, but Alya recognized some of what the turtle hero just said about him. His hand trembled a bit every time he grabbed something, though he tried to control it, he had eyebags under his eyes and he was thinner, which was not a good thing to say about someone who used to be a model. And then there was Marinette, who, just like the cat, was playing the game of pretending everything was fine. Who was that act for, Alya wasn't sure. Maybe it was for themselves. She shook her head, then gestured for her boyfriend to follow her back into the party.

''I'll be right back'' Was Luka saying when Alya and Nino joined. The guardian didn't let anyone else talk him out of leaving and disappeared into the night again.

Alya went to Marinette's side and put one of her arms around the girls neck, pulling her close enough that their cheeks touched.

''You are skipping steps, girl. You are supposed to go to college THEN become roommates'' The reporters teasing was responded with a heavy blush, making almost everyone in the room laugh.

''Alya! This is not for fun and you know it'' Said Marinette, her eyes dancing between Adrien and everyone else in the room, even the very amused agent.

''You wound me, my lady, I'm not fun to have as a roommate?'' Said Adrien from his chair right besides the designer. He had one hand on his chest and the other dramatically covering his forehead, but Alya knew him enough to know that the blush on his face was not just because of the hot chocolate.

''Shut up you stray cat, don't give her fuel''

The teasing and joking continued, and Alya did her best to make sure the fun was lighthearted and the topics stayed away from the harsh reality that surrounded them. Even the agent -Antoine- was laughing and joining in on the fun occasionally, which magically, instead of making everyone wary of him and reminding them of his nature, did just the opposite. He seemed to know exactly what to say to make people laugh (Mostly making fun of Simon, something about cheating at cards) and keep everyone's attention on the subject of his joke, not himself.

Alya glanced over to the only person who didn't seem to be having any fun. Juleka was in a corner, eating quietly and staring at Marinette and Adrien as if they were aliens. The only other person who seemed to notice that was Chloe, who before the fox heroine could do anything, grabbed the goth girl by an arm and much like Alya did with Nino before, dragged her away from the party. The fox couldn't repress her curiosity and followed them to the kitchen.

''Just talk to her, she's right there and she knows you know'' Chloe was saying to Juleka in an exasperated way, much like she always did when someone disobeyed her more than three times in a row.

''What's up?'' Alya didn't want to just spy on them without them knowing, so she very subtly pretended to be there for a glass of water, which took her a suspiciously long time to get while she awaited for the answer.

''Juleka here has some things to say to Marinette, but she's letting her irrational fear of rejection get in the way'' Said Chloe, pretending to be bored with all of it, though if she really was uninterested she wouldn't be there in the first place.

''Chloe we talked about pressuring people to do things for you'' Alya half-seriously scolded the blonde.

''No! It's … for me, Chloe is just helping...I guess, but...There's too many people! And she's with Adrien… And Luka is not here'' Juleka was staring at the floor tiles as if they were the most interesting thing in the world.

''What does Luka have to do with anything?'' Said the Queen Bee, rolling her eyes. She was being uncharacteristically mean with Juleka, considering how careful she was with her most days. Alya worried that Chloe was taking the goth's acceptance for granted, but then looked at the girl in question.

Juleka didn't look mad, in fact she wasn't looking at any of them. She replaced the floor tiles with the doorway, and the people out there in the living room. She was staring intently at Marinette just like she did the whole evening. As if the designer was some kind of…idol, as if she was a huge celebrity or something. Then it hit her. That stare was entirely justified in Juleka's mind. Ladybug was a celebrity. And not just any heroine, like Rena Rouge or the barely even seen in public Viperion. She was, along with Chat Noir (Who was right besides her, too) the start of everything, the biggest mystery in Paris. She was also Marinette, Juleka's classmate, who she stopped talking to because she was too ashamed of her support for a certain liar when she should have supported her, a dear friend who helped her multiple times both in their day to day lives and from monsters. If Alya wasn't a superhero herself at the moment of discovering her best friend's secret, she probably would have been just as starstruck as Juleka was at that moment. Not to mention if she never picked on the whole Lila thing on time like she did…

''You want Luka to bail you out of here if Marinette doesn't accept your apology, is that it?'' Asked Alya, her voice tender and warm. Juleka nodded, surprised, locking her eyes with the reporter's for the first time since she entered the kitchen.

''Pff, you don't need him for that, I'll call a limo for you if that happens, which it wont, by the way'' Said Chloe, dismissing the whole thing with her hand but not making any attempt at leaving.

''We both know my girl can be difficult sometimes Chloe, Juleka is more than justified in her worry. But Juleka'' She grabbed the goth girls shoulders, which were a lot higher up than she was used for her friend's shoulders to be at. ''It will be alright. Marinette probably doesn't even think you owe her any kind of apology. She would have said something by now anyways, and she hasn't. You know she wouldn't stay quiet if she didn't want you here''

The goth took Alya's words in for a good moment, then nodded.

''Alright, but there's still so many people... ''

''That's no problem, I can just call her here for a moment and you can have your talk'' Said Alya.

And that was it, the evening continued with an increasingly more pleasant and comfortable mood, Marinette's parents were really happy to have so many people eating their food, and they had a lot of things they wanted to get rid of apparently since the bakery had closed for the day, and the weeks sales were not good. Alya called Marinette for Juleka like she said she would, and their talk was held in private up in the girls rooms. Minutes later they both came down with smiles and, Alya wasn't sure if it was her imagination or not, but her best friend had probably cried a little. A bit later, Luka came back, transformed into Viperion and carrying a tiny man in his arms like it was a baby.

''Master Fu!'' Exclaimed pretty much everyone in the room that knew the elder man's name.

...

When the former guardian was carried inside by Viperion, Adrien felt like crying. He had not been told that the man was awake and well, and he had certainly not expected to see him that soon, either. The former model gathered all his strength, fought out his body protesting, and pushed himself up from the wheelchair. The room went quiet for a moment, the only movement coming from Adrien slow's steps towards the man the snake hero slowly sat on one of the chairs in the room. By the time the boy reached the older guardian, he was covered in sweat and many of what were only aches minutes ago transformed into real pain again, but he didn't care. He hugged the smiling Fu, who had tears on his eyes even before the mutual contact.

''I'm so proud of you'' Whispered Master Fu as they hugged, Adrien kneeling on the floor to be in the correct height for them to do it. The teen sniffed as his answer, his arms tightened around the man.

...

Marinette watched with a tearful smile as Adrien and Master Fu hugged, finally reunited after Lila damaged them both so badly almost a year ago. She cursed mentally for not telling her boyfriend about the man's condition improving, but in between all the other things that worried her mind, even Ladybug could forgive herself for the little slip up. The hug went on for a lot longer than anyone in the room anticipated, and as Master Fu softly caressed Adrien's back, the heroine noticed that the teen's hands were both on his sides, limp, as he kneeled over the elder guardian. Luka's alarmed face was the last clue she needed to get up and quickly approach them. The room was filled with murmurs as she pressed a hand on Adrien's back, looking at Master Fu in the eyes.

''He passed out'' He informed, containing his worry as much as she was. Marinette nodded.

Luka, who transformed back while everyone's attention was on Adrien and Master Fu, was the first one to react after Marinette did, helping her turn the passed out teen over so she could inspect the damage. He had probably opened one of the milliard of wounds he still had, or maybe it was just tiredness over the day's trip and following celebration, to the designer it was all the same.

''I'll take him to his room'' That was her father's voice behind her, his shadow looming over them.

Marinette accepted the help, placing a hand on Adrien's forehead as her father lifted him. The gesture confirmed what she already suspected from earlier in the night: Adrien was not well enough yet to be celebrating for so long. She knew he was enduring his wounds during the party, hiding his little winces as laughter and his fever as embarrassment whenever possible, but he didn't fool her. She frowned as she silently followed Tom towards the guest room. Behind them, the guests started talking again, if awkwardly at first, and before closing the door that muffled most of the sounds coming from the living room, Marinette heard Alya's voice doing her best to un-worry everyone.

Adrien groaned softly when her father accomodated him on the bed, but his eyes opened a few seconds after, just in time to see Marinette's face looming over his with a tiny smile.

''You idiot'' She said softly, prompting a snort from her father at her side.

''True that!, you shouldn't be walking yet, Adrien'' Tom remained as cheerful as he was when the party started, which Marinette found kind of odd, but welcome.

''I'll take care now dad, you can go back''

''Alright sweetie, just let us know if you need anything else'' And just like that, Marinette and Adrien were alone once more.

''Sorry'' Mumbled her partner, his glowing green eyes closing slowly.

''Shh'' Marinette brushed his hair from his forehead, still pearled by sweat, then placed a kiss on it.

Once Adrien's breathing was slow and steady and Marinette was sure he was asleep, the girl moved to the other side of the bed and laid on it, doing her best to not move him while also accommodating herself well enough to make sure she would wake up on it and not in the floor, for the bed was not a queen sized like the hotel ones. She wondered if she should use her powers to heal him, but then she heard the muffled voices of everyone still in the living room. All of them, not just Tikki, would need her to be awake and useful tomorrow and the days to come. She had so many problems to fix yet, but most of the dread and insecurity that plagued her the last year were gone, replaced by the bubbling sensation that she recognized now as the pure happiness that being next to her love gave her. He would heal, sooner or later, and they would restore balance, even if she didn't know how yet.

Before joining Adrien on the land of dreams, though, the heroine of Paris remembered the words that stuck with her from her conversation with Juleka that same evening:

''Why do you need to keep so many secrets?''


	15. Daughter of Creation

Marinette woke up in a way she was getting maybe a bit too used to: Right next to Adrien. Days of draining herself healing her partner and staying as close to him as possible were not enough to stop her from blushing every time she saw his sleeping face in the morning light, and she hoped that would never change. No matter how childish her reactions might seem to other people, Marinette really enjoyed feeling all kinds of things related to Adrien Agreste, and if a little bit of embarrassment was the price to pay for all the others, she gladly would for the rest of their life.

The girl got up slowly, doing her best to not move the ex-model too much, though she doubted he would wake up anytime soon anyways. She didn't use her powers much last night, just enough to ease him into sleep in the middle of the night, when a fever half-woke him up, but that small check on him told her that he would probably sleep the whole day. And he needed to, she thought looking down on him, frown in her brow.

Her pondering got interrupted by a red blob that suddenly went through the door in a hasted pace. Tikki had been her alarm clock for the past year, but Marinette had a moment of confusion, wondering what got the tiny god in such a hurry when there was no school that week.

''Oh you're awake!'' Exclaimed Tikki as soon as she noticed the girl standing up. ''I couldn't bring your phone through the door, I left it right outside the room, quick Marinette!''

Her sleepy brain took a second longer than normal to process what was going on, but when she finally caught on the situation, she was completely awake and moving silently but fast towards the door. As she opened it looking at the floor for her phone, the vibrating stopped. The girl still didn't know what was so important that Tikki would be so inclined to make sure Marinette answered to it, considering the most important person in her life right now was calmly sleeping behind her. And then she saw the message. Or rather, messages.

''Oh my god! I totally forgot about my internship!'' She brought one hand to her forehead so fast it left a red mark there. ''I'm already disappointing Tina and we haven't even started'' She complained as she read through the various, worry-filled messages the designer left her that morning. The first one had been three hours ago, at 10 AM, an hour late from their appointed meeting time that saturday.

''What about the trial, Marinette?'' Asked Tikki.

''The trial?'' Her brain was still sleepy, apparently. ''Wait, is that today?!'' Tikki merely nodded in worry.

Marinette then proceeded to pace around in a circle, trying to figure out a way to do everything she needed to be doing that day. In her quest to retrieve her boyfriend from the claws of the agents (And death, don't forget death, Marinette), she had erased all her other duties for the week, and somehow that included the trial that would start at 3PM -In two hours- that would start the changes that Adrien much needed in his life right now… But it could all go wrong, still, couldn't it? Marinette had no idea what was going on in the political side of their issues, only that Chat Noir was no longer a criminal and that Gabriel Agreste had been completely silent since he got arrested. She had no idea what to expect from the trial, her only certainty is that she had to be there. And Adrien, but that was out of question, she decided quickly, stopping her pacing to look at his sleeping face one more time.

''He's in no condition to go anywhere'' Said Tikki, almost as if she had read her mind.

''He's not going anywhere, this is only the first court meeting of many, that much I know'' Her voice was surprisingly calm. ''And everyone saw the news, it's not gonna be a surprise to anyone that Chat Noir is indisposed… But Ladybug needs to be there to tell them'' She bit her fat finger's nail, but then caught herself and stopped.

''Alright, I'll go to Tina's first, apologize profusely and… and tell her I can't be there the rest of the day''

''You can't tell her why'' Said Tikki, voicing her concerns.

''No...But I can lie'' She grimaced just thinking of that.

Tina Missoni had been so nice to her, offering such an opportunity, and though Marinette was no stranger to the shenanigans required to keep her second life a secret, she always hated when she had to choose between Ladybug and Marinette. Except, this time it was between Adrien and Marinette. Adrien and his father, who was probably counting on her being there, as they hadn't talked in… well, almost a year now. It would have looked to bad for Ladybug to be in contact with the terrorist that she should have put in jail, but didn't, so she had kept away from him and Nathalie that whole time. And if the teen was being honest with herself, that wasn't the only reason. She hadn't really been a good Ladybug in the past months, with her Lucky Charm all out of control and her constant worry about the balance… She had been paralyzed by her own mind, and she had used all of those things as excuses, but today that had to stop.

''I'll figure something on the way'' She murmured, then rushed upstairs to change clothes.

As she hastily got dressed, not even bothering to select her best clothes, just whatever looked decent and was first at hand, she took a small moment to stare at the drawer that she used to open every morning for the past year before going out. Marinette shook her head. Throwing dice right at that moment wasn't only a stupid waste of precious time, but also just another way of getting herself stressed out that she REALLY didn't need that day.

Sabine and Tom were in the kitchen, but the bakery remained closed just like it did the day before, Marinette vaguely noticed as she walked past them with a quick ''I'll be back later!''. Her parents greetings muffled by the walls as she closed the door behind her, she noticed for the first time how cold it was, specially without her suit.

''What the heck!'' She exclaimed, pausing a moment outside her home, hesitating on whether to go back inside and get better clothes for the weather (Gloves, she definitely needed gloves) or just woman it up and get warm running. She decided on the later, much to her fingers dismay.

...

Mister M., as he liked to be called by everyone, including Ashe, his best agent and closest employee, was inspecting one of the multiple artifacts his team recovered from the vaults of the temple when the gray haired woman entered his office. She was the only one, other than his own son, that would do that and not the punished for it, though for very different reasons. Trevor just never cared, and knew that his father would not 'fire' him, so he had the privilege to be a lot less careful than his other agents. Ashe, on the other hand, had his complete trust. Mister M. knew that if the woman barged in his office, it was for a good reason, and honestly he didn't really mind her presence, there wasn't anything he would be doing in that room that required that much secrecy, not for Ashe, anyways.

''What is it?'' He asked, not looking up from the zoomed in image of the jewel he held in place on the table with a bunch of pinzers. He hoped when he took over the temple to find some real power in it, but all of the supposed miraculous that it contained were just copies, for some odd reason.

''I got news from agent R.'' Another thing the man liked about Ashe was that she always went straight to the point. He nodded, leaving his work on the table and getting up to listen to the rest of her report. ''He said the Gabriel Agreste trial is going to be in a couple hours, and is asking for permission to proceed with the plans using that instance for 'maximum effect' as he put it''

''Hmm, I thought we would wait for Chat Noir to appear in Paris to start stalking the kids'' He said, thoughtful. He had sent all of his operatives -A little army of twenty deadly men and women- to the city of love, where they would follow on Trevors and agent A.'s footsteps and try to get jewels from the so called superheroes. He didn't know all of the details, as Trevor had been a bit more secretive about his methors while on the city, but he knew that them revealing themselves to the heroes was the catalyst of finally acquiring a miraculous for themselves. He knew the late Lila Rossi had been involved, and that there was a box with all the other jewels that were currently unused, apparently. So he wanted all of his people trying to extract them from wherever the heroes kept them.

But he wanted to wait until Chat Noir was confirmed alive. He used that as a marker for the men, not necessarily giving them a good reason to wait for the cat, but M. needed him specifically because he planed a couple interrogators on the Paris army. He wanted to know what happened in Sain-Malo, and where was his son, before continuing with this little game.

''Also, some of them, namely agent R. himself and agent H. are worried about the projects left behind… And I can't help but agree, sir. We have every operative that is not here, on Paris, leaving all our other searches abandoned. Some of them were delicate enough that leaving a trail to get cold would mean forgetting about the treasure all together'' Said Ashe, genuinely worried about the business, as she always was. So loyal.

The boss did a dismissive gesture with his hand, ignoring completely the worries of his most trusted agent.

''Those were leagues behind what he have seen the miraculous capable of doing'' He explained, though he really didn't need to, he wanted to make sure this would not distract his agents on their mission. ''Some vague future reading crystal ball and a supposedly magic sword that does absolutely nothing except sell well on the black market are nothing compared to real power'' He lifted the copy miraculous from the table between two fingers. It was a Bee-themed hairpin. ''These, the real ones, have real power. That what this organization is after, Ashe, don't forget it. So no, I don't mind losing the trail on myths and legends, when we have the tools of god roaming all together in one city''

Ashe nodded, probably not completely convinced, but accepting of his explanation. She then turned around and was about to leave then a knock on the door stopped her in her tracks. Instead of opening it to leave, she let the new person in after a nod of approval from Mister M.

''Sir! oh Ashe, didn't know you were here… Sorry for interrupting'' This one didn't go straight to the point, thought M. slightly annoyed at the man's tone.

''What is it, Grovel'' Said Ashe, not without a slight cringe on her nose as she detected the smell the torturer emitted. His nickname was no coincidence, just like the hefty amount of money Mister M. paid for him to get information out of the temple's monks.

''You wont believe this, after so many months, one of them finally sang!'' He was so happy.. why were all these types always so happy with their jobs? Either that, or they were emotionless machines of pain…wondered Mister M. with disgust.

''And?'' Demanded Ashe, not hiding her disdain for the man either.

''And I know what Gabriel Agreste wanted so, so desperately for him to turn into a terrorist'' Said Grovel, entering the room without being truly invited, ignoring Ashe's presence and going directly at Mister M.'s ear.

The boss had to resist the urge of cringing away from the smell of blood that emanated from the torturer, knowing that whatever the answer to one of the biggest questions he had about the whole Hawkmoth ordeal was about to be answered for him.

''A miraculous, all powerful…. wish!''

...

''And this is where you will spend most of your time, little lady'' Louie winked at her as he finished his tour around the small but cozy workshop that Tina Missoni rented for herself and her team in Paris.

''This is like a dream come true'' She murmured, amazed at all the things that surrounded her. She had been to more luxurious workshops of course, nothing could compare to the Gabriel Agreste private work rooms, but this one was like… like how her room would look like if she had evolved it over the years as a designer. Minus the pink.

''I'm so sorry for being so late… and for having to leave right after this'' She excused herself for the eleventh or so time that afternoon. The trial was in an hour, though as Ladybug she wasn't worried about the time to get there, she was starting to get nervous about it.

''Don't fret over it little lady, Tina knew what she was getting into when she hired you. You can finish your work at your parents bakery properly and then we can discuss a proper schedule for you, alright?'' Marinette still couldn't believe how nice these people were, it would have been a nice feeling if it wasn't clouded by the fact that she knew her luck was unnatural, not to mention unfair.

''Cheer up! now go to Tina before leaving, she wanted to ask you something'' The man winked again, so comfortable with Marinette already that he even gave her the ''little lady'' nickname in the first minutes of the tour.

''See you later then, Louie'' She said, smiling, then left the room to find the designer.

Tina was hunched over her sketchbook in her own corner of the workshop, completely alone and almost in darkness if it wasn't for the lone lamp that helped her see what she was drawing. Marinette wasn't too surprised to find that the woman was not exempt of some kind of… eccentricity, even if she otherwise seemed completely normal, if not overly happy at times. Tina noticed the girl once she was almost over her shoulder, close enough to see that she was sketching none other than Ladybug herself. The teen had to suppress a tiny gasp of surprise and control her features as the woman gave her full attention to her.

''Did you like your new work space?'' She asked, smiling at Marinette though there was some weariness in her expression. Maybe she didn't sleep well?, thought the girl.

''I love it, though I still don't know exactly what you want me to do…'' She left the question open, though she knew the woman wouldn't go into details that day, as she already knew Marinette had to leave soon.

''Tell me, what do you think of this?'' Tina completely changed subjects, or so it seemed, as she lifted her sketchbook and showed properly what she was working on.

''It's a lovely Ladybug depiction'' Said the girl with some caution, though both were still smiling and the mood was relaxed enough.

''Yes yes, I can draw, but what do you think of her costume, is what I want to know'' She kept the sketchbook in front of Marinette's face as she talked, letting her really look at it.

It truly was a great drawing, Marinette noticed that even the dots on the suit were in their correct place, a detail that a lot of other artists have missed in their tributes to Paris superheroine. Of course, only Ladybug herself (Or a really obsessive fan…. or Chat Noir, for that matter) would have noticed such a detail, and she couldn't hint that she was either of those things to Tina, so she said nothing on that particular detail. She started, then, to really try and tackle what was being asked of her. Her opinion as a designer, she supposed.

''I like it, honestly, it's simple, and straight to the point… pun not intended, and, well… yeah maybe it's a bit too childish, now that I think about it…'' She trailed on, with Tina nodding to everything she said afterwards.

''I agree with most of what you just said, Marinette. I like her style too, though it might be starting to be a bit small compared to what she is after years of superheroing... But even when you like something, it doesn't mean you can't experiment with it, yes?'' The woman was smiling broadly now, as if trying to empathize that she what just said is important.

''You want to design a Ladybug suit? Did she ask you to do it?'' She tried to sound as excited as she guessed a fan would, with a prospect like that one, but Marinette's own suspicions and wariness filtered through anyways. She couldn't help it, this woman was getting too close to her secrets for her comfort.

''Oh no, I still don't have the pleasure to meet her, though I hope one day I will, I can't leave such excitements only to Gabriel Agreste's name, after all'' Tina then shook her head softly, smirk still on. ''This is just a side project I want you to help me with, I would say it's for fun, but I would be lying''

''What is it for, then?'' She was genuinely curious now, though still nervous about the whole topic.

''Well, as nice as I seem to be, I'm still a very ambitious career woman, Marinette. I want my name on things, you see, and what better way to do that than to get a superhero's first wardrobe change attached to it?'' Her gaze was fixated on Marinette's, observing her every reaction, which, combined with her words, lifter some hairs on the girls arms.

''Can't say i'm too surprised about that… but how are you gonna achieve it? I heard her suit is pure magic, how can you… sew it, if that's the case? and then make her actually wear it?'' Her questions were pretty much her honest reaction, minus the -Hey maybe ask Ladybug if she even wants a new suit, and by the way, I'm Ladybug- side of it.

''Those are problems we can deal with after we actually design the thing, don't you think?''

''And why would you want me to help with that? It's such an important project for you... I thought you would have me sewing buttons and bringing coffee'' Asked Marinette, her concern over her secret identity fading a bit in light of another one: What did this woman want of her, really?

''Marinette, it's starting to sound like you don't want to work with me, with all these questions. Don't get me wrong, you asking for details is perfectly ok, I even encourage it, that's how we learn after all… but you don't sound too excited about this as I hoped my very first apprentice would be'' The older woman's disappointed voice hurt a lot, but it was not enough to make Marinette less careful about this particular topic. Though she could act better about it.

''I'm sorry! I am excited, but, well, I guess as a Parisian I respect Ladybug a lot, and I wouldn't want to force anything on her…But I'd love to work on the design, on anything you make me do, actually. This is such a great opportunity I really don't want to mess it up…'' She was pouring her heart out as much as she could without revealing that she knew more than she let on.

To Marinette's relief, Tina kept her smile on her face as she nodded and got up, closing her sketchbook.

''We will talk more about this tomorrow, at 10 AM this time, after you get your things with your parents sorted out, ok?'' The woman guided Marinette out of the studio, which reminded the girl how close to the trial's start time it was. ''I just wanted to plant the seed of my idea on that brain of yours, so when you come back, you bring me something interesting, hmm?''

''Yes Ma'am!'' She was truly enthusiastic, mostly because she didn't get fired on the first day and that she could go to the trial with no further problems.

''And, Marinette? Please relax. I'm not going to fire you over you having opinions, that's not how we do things here''

As she left the studio and quickly ran to a nearby alley to transform into Ladybug, Marinette thought how incredibly awesome Tina was. She never expected her first taste of the fashion world to be so… nice. Well, her first taste that didn't include her boyfriends father, that is. She was wondering what was worse, superpowered luck or nepotism, when Tikki came out of her hiding spot once they were out of view of the few people that roamed the streets.

''I like her'' Commented the red god, floating next to the girl to get her attention.

''She's really cool, Tikki, but she was so close to my secret! I will need to be very careful or she will figure me out before I get to learn anything from her''

''She's a daughter of creation, her attraction to Ladybug is understandable''

Before Marinette's mind wondered too much about what Tikki really meant with that, she decided to transform and rush to the courthouse before it was too late. She had only five minutes now to get in a decent time, and her stomach reminded her that a famous designer figuring out she was Ladybug was the least of her problems at the moment.

She had a former villain to face again, in front of the very important people that would decide later on if superheroes were welcomed or not.


	16. Red

''You think she'll make it on time?'' Asked Viperion nervously, switching between glancing at Chloe's phone and the faces of his companions.

''Is Adrien coming with her?'' Antoine, transformed into the Moth, whispered before anyone could answer the snake's question. And really, no one knew where the red heroine was caught up minutes before the session began, so the guitarist was aware of how rhetorical his question was. That was not the case with the ex-agent's worry, though.

''Adrikins is not coming'' Chloe merely asid, not taking her eyes off her yellow nails, doing her best to appear as nonchalant as possible.

Master Fu, transformed into Jade Turtle for the sake of keeping his identity safe, much like with Viperion, Moth and Ladybug, shook his head slowly, eyes closed. The snake hero knew what that weariness was about, a mixture between the fact that they had to put up with the many questions of their new ''ally'' and that neither Luka nor Master Fu wanted to be rude to him, while also keeping their most sensible secrets to themselves. Antoine was a 'cool dude' as Nino put it when they met, but he was still not as trustworthy as he needed to be in order to know the details of their plans, powers and weaknesses.

Viperion briefly wondered if the Master would say anything else, try to placate everyone's nerves and doubts, but the elder man did nothing of the sort. The snake hero was very much conscious that he was the one supposed to do that, along with Ladybug when she was available. They were the 'lider figures' of their team, one as the guardian and the other one as the plan maker. But at that moment, exactly three minutes before the doors closed, Gabriel Agreste already sitting by his lawyers sides, Ladybug not in sight, he was just as worried as everyone else.

Just when he was sure the little vein that formed in his head would explode from stress, the spotted heroine entered the room, sweat covering her brow from the rush, but otherwise appearing calm and collected. He heard the collective sigh from his little group before the room filled with murmurs and the judge began the session. Viperion smiled as he looked around, the same question plastered over the rest of the attendees faces. Where was Adrien Agreste? This was the first session of his fathers trial after all, and everyone knew that it wasn't just the designers freedom at stake, it was also the way the heroes dealt with it and what it would mean for the future of superheroing in general.

But he and his team knew the ex-model was still in bed, probably sleeping even though it was way past noon, his wounds still not even close to being completely healed after a building crashed over him. Everyone except Antoine also knew why Marinette would not heal him even though Chat Noir being at the court that day was important, but not as vital as the reason why he wasn't there in the first place. It was the same reason it took months for Master Fu to be able to walk again after she woke him up with her powers, and also the same reason she wasn't working at a hospital saving people from dying: Whenever Ladybug used her healing, a secondary power much like the Butterfly's ability to perceive emotions and Chat Noir's senses and out-of-suit cataclysms, she was not creating life out of nothing. She was giving a piece of her own each time, resulting in her energy being drained completely, which was a minor inconvenience compared to what Luka and Fu learned months ago from their investigations on the grimoire: Ladybugs healing would shorten her life if she used it too much. And what was too much? No one knew… except maybe Tikki, who always looked extremely mad whenever the girl used her ability.

They discussed it long before the Saint-Malo incident, and even with all those facts and missing information, it was still stupidly hard to convince Marinette to not give out her life so freely when it wasn't an emergency. They spent a whole day making sure the girl understood why she had to be a little bit selfish, if only for the sake of letting the world have their Ladybug for a bit longer. It was only when they mentioned Adrien, and asked her how she felt every time he sacrificed himself for her, that she relented. At the end of that discussion, they all agreed that the less people knew about that secondary power of hers, the better, and also that they should be getting better at not getting hurt in the first place, rather than using all their power in a reactive way after the fact.

And just like that, with Viperion thinking about that uneasy topic that they usually avoided, the session was over.

''What? What happened?'' He asked, confused. Chloe snorted by his side, amused at his lack of attention.

''Nothing, like we knew it would'' She said, her voice filled with sass. True, they knew that it was just the first meeting of many, but still, something interesting must have been said?

''Gabriel is being quite cooperative'' Commented Jade Turtle, rubbing his chin with one hand.

As they kept commenting on what went on (Or didn't, as Viperion was realizing), Ladybug strolled directly at them and, with a hand gesture, signaled them to follow her. The heroine's expression was unreadable, even for the new Guardian, who prided himself in being able to tell what people were thinking just by their looks and what he knew about them. But he wasn't the only one confused about her command, as their team followed her, he noticed Chloe exchanging questioning looks with him, and even Master Fu raised an eyebrow right before starting to move.

Ladybug guided them through the hallways of the building, a Rococo-looking place nicely decorated with paintings of important moments in France's history. The heroine walked fast, but still she didn't know the building very well, that much was obvious. Whatever she was looking for, she was probably nailing it on the way. Her steps quickened once she saw a particular door with nothing of note that Viperion could tell, then opened it and gestured for everyone to enter before her. It was a little reunion room, kind of dark compared with the rest of the building, a few green lamps keeping faces visible but just that.

Ladybug closed the door after everyone was in, then crossed her arms while she waited by the entrance, not moving towards the seating area like the rest of them did.

''What is this about?'' Asked Antoine, again with his many questions, though this time he was asking the right one.

''Gabriel sneaked a little note to me when I passed right beside him after the session, and he was giving me… looks'' Viperion realized she looked just as confused as everyone else, but it was clear the ex-terrorist had some kind of plan, and this was one of the few chances they had of meeting without anyone else knowing about it, so of course Ladybug would be eager to take it.

''Was he winking at you in morse code or something?'' Chloe snickered, though judging by the red heroine's face, that wasn't too far from the truth.

''Wait, for real?''

''Not code, but he did wink.. once…'' She shuddered ''So strange''

''I hope you can keep your voices lower for the rest of this meeting, Ladybug and Company'' Said Gabriel as soon as he opened the door, staring directly at the heroine as she was petrified by the tiny moment of shame. The people in the room did their best to suppress their giggles. ''Because I'm not winking in the middle of a court session where the judge could see me ever again''

''Hey, it worked'' Said Antoine, smiling widely even though he was surrounded by the same people he battled a year ago.

''Yes, but we don't have long'' Gabriel was all business mode now, though he frowned a bit after noticing Antoine in the room, he didn't comment on his presence… or the fact that he was wearing his old miraculous. ''We must leave this place before anyone else thinks of coming here, and also in the same way we entered, separated. No one can see Hawkmoth talking with the heroes, not yet at least''

''What do you mean, not yet?'' Ladybug asked, her arms crossed once the awkwardness was over and the planning began.

''To go straight to the point, this past year I've been trying to strike a deal with the government, the French government that is, so that I can help you guys from a different position once the superhero laws start coming out. As you can guess, I'm just as interested as any of you are that miraculous wielders keep their freedom in order to do their jobs, we can't have these bureaucrats monitoring every single move you make, that would just lead to you becoming some new sort of police department, and we don't want that, do we?'' The last question was obviously a planned part of his speech, Ladybug thought. The man had an obscene amount of time to plan for this, but she detected real insecurity in it anyways. So she nodded, reassuring the man that they were still in the same page.

''I also wanted to get back a bit of my freedom in order to do this, so the deal must be good, you see. Not just a one sided proposal from our dear leaders where they gain what I offer and we get nothing but empty promises'' The man continued, pacing in front of the group as he talked.

''And what do you offer?'' Asked Master Fu, suspicion all over his face.

''Well information, of course. Problem is, when I started these talks with them they wanted things I don't think you guys are ready to share, even under NDA's''

''Our identities'' It was really funny that Chloe was the one saying that, considering she was the one heroine who didn't give a damn about hers when she started.

''Not yours dear, but yes'' Ladybug smiled despite herself. Lockdown made her ex-idol so much sassier than she remembered him being.

''So I guess that's why there is no deal yet?'' Asked Viperion. Gabriel nodded.

''One of the reasons, yes. Just because my sons identity is out doesn't mean all of yours should be, or any future hero for that matter'' He continued ''But I also admit I don't want to do anything without your approval first. I think I know best what it means to be on your bad side… or Adrien's'' He offered a weak smile as he glanced directly at Ladybug.

She was honestly and pleasantly surprised to see in the man's eyes that he meant that, not just as someone afraid of becoming a superheroine's enemy once again, but also of losing her… whatever it was that she thought of him. Not even she was sure. Friendship? Support? Whatever, it was the same, Ladybug didn't want her partner's father as an enemy ever again, no matter how true her threats were when she let him keep her freedom a year ago. So she nodded.

''This little meeting is for us to agree on what we can offer the government in exchange for this deal to work, which is why I'm glad both guardians are here too'' It was Viperions and Jade Turtle's turn to nod.

''How are you going to convince the government to agree with our terms if we offer too little?, which we probably will, honestly'' Asked Viperion.

''Oh I'm working on that'' Gabriel smiled again ''I've been acting as if I'm the one with the cards, and it finally paid off. The US sent someone to offer me a similar deal for way less information than what our government is asking, they just want someone with any experience with miraculouses on their side, and their offer was honestly very tempting''

Ladybug had never seen an entire group of people raise the same eyebrow at the same time before, but that's what happened when the designer mentioned the Americans. It would have been funny if the reason why it happened wasn't so concerning.

''Don't worry, I'm not going to accept anything from them. I'm just using them so our government starts taking me seriously'' Said the ex-villain, holding both hands in front of him in a placating way. ''I hope they take the bait sooner rather than later, but I'm confident on it''

''Well, as they say, the devil is in the details'' Said Master Fu, still looking pretty suspicious of the whole thing, but considering he hadn't even met Gabriel Agreste before that day, knowing only that he had been their enemy for years before he fell into a coma, it was understandable.

They used the next fifteen minutes detailing exactly what was Gabriel allowed to tell the government if the deal went through, and to Ladybugs delight, it was indeed very little. She almost felt bad, considering what they would supposedly be getting in exchange: Input on what the laws would look like, more freedom for Gabriel and Nathalie, and the most important part: Peace with their own government. At least for the time being.

''That's it?'' Antoine said once their tiny list was done with. It included things like the relationship between the miraculous and human concepts, some history lessons, how many jewels were there, and the only detail that they felt a bit uneasy sharing: What kwamis were. None of that was information someone like, say, Alya, wouldn't be able to learn given enough time, though, so it really was nothing compared to what they could be asking. Nothing about their powers, the glamour, their identities or weaknesses.

''Yeah, it doesn't really matter that it doesn't look like enough to us, it will be better than nothing for them'' Said Gabriel, wicked smile on his face. He probably deserved to be happy about essentially scamming the same government that put him in jail for a year, but he kinda deserved that time too?... Ladybug was so conflicted she decided to stay quiet for now.

''Now, we just need to make sure we are as trustworthy as this deal makes us to be'' Said Ladybug, wrapping up the conversation since they were abusing their luck now with how long they had been in that room. ''But we've been doing that for the past year, there haven't been many changes to our situation and the citizens have seen the same heroes over and over''

''What about the box?'' Asked Chloe.

The silence that followed the question was just as charged as the almost tabu topic was. Ladybug's head fell as she looked at her feet in shame. They hadn't recovered the box after Lila's death, and one of the biggest reason why was because they didn't have Chat Noir to sneak into that damned house to look for it. Yeah, they had tried, before the sealed room that once belonged to Lila was covered in enough dust to reveal their entering, but none of them had his tracking abilities, or were silent enough to stay long to search without the grieving Gianna Rossi finding them. Then Ladybug had simply… given up. Other problems arose, her Lucky Charm not working, balance.. finding Adrien.

She shook her head, then noticed that Viperion and Jade turtle looked just as ashamed as she felt. They were the guardians, and yeah, their role was to protect that box, but she was the one that let time pass without finding it. She put a hand on Viperions shoulders, making him lift his gaze to meet hers to hopefully make him feel a little bit better before speaking to the rest.

''We need to find it, but we need to be very quiet about it''

The group exchanged looks of worry in various degrees, even Antoine joining in, then Gabriel left the room after instructing them to wait before they do it.

''How unlucky would it be if someone got a hold of a miraculous and started causing trouble right when we need peace?'' Said Antoine, earning a bunch of frowns.

''You just jinxed it'' Chloe facepalmed.

''It must still be hidden wherever Lila left it'' Said Viperion, trying to calm everyone down, a hand on Chloe's shoulder much like Ladybug did moments before. ''It's been a year and we have had no signs of someone using any of the jewels''

It made sense, of course, but Ladybug had the gut feeling, the annoying suspicion, that this time luck really wasn't in their favor. She felt her paranoia take over her thoughts, and though she did her best not to let it show on her face as they spent several more minutes in that dark room, her mind kept spiraling to possibilities of a new supervillain. They had so many loose ends it was ridiculous, not only the whole box was still missing but they still didn't know if the Dragon was alive, or where that particular miraculous ended up being.

Some time later that day, once the girl made it back to her home where her partner and love of her life was finally awake and a bit better, she recovered some control over her fears as she watched him eat a full dinner with her and her family. This was the reason and the solution to their problems, she thought while her gaze was lost in the blond locks coming from the boys head, half on their way of taking over the fake black. She just needed her partner, her kitty, by her side, and they would eventually find the missing jewels. They would eventually find out what was needed in order for balance to be restored, and even though Adrien's life was never going to be the same, she had a feeling that as long as they were together, it wouldn't matter. She was going to become a designer and earn enough to live with him even if he never got to live a normal civilian life again. They would manage.

Marinette's promises to herself calmed her down, and by the time the day was almost over, she realized that she was feeling like herself again, after so long. Was it because she had her other half, or because she was taking charge of her problems, acting like Ladybug again? She wasn't sure she could answer that for herself, but maybe it was a mix of both. She needed her people with her, her partner by her side, but also she needed to take control and make plans. While she hanged out with her family and their guest in the living room, she felt so good with her newfound confidence that she was very tempted to try her Lucky charm one more time, almost sure that it would come out as a random object and not a stupid gun. She decided to squeeze Adrien's hand instead, though.

Then a breaking news segment on the TV started.

''This is Nadie Chamak from the house of Judge Howard Francois, where an attack was reported to the authorities minutes earlier this afternoon. The house is currently under lockdown, and police are working to get in, but it's been several minutes and there has been no ask for ransom or any demands from the attackers'' The reporter announced, the cameras pointing at the situation she had just described.

The beautiful house was surrounded by the police, but none of them dared to move inside. The feed was live, and while Nadie kept talking about how criptic the call that informed them of the situation, there had been no response from the judge's phone or his family, who were presumed to be inside the house as well.

''What-'' Said Tom, and Sabine by his side covered her mouth with her hands as the feed now showed a red smoke coming from the house's windows, door frame and chimney.

Marinette stood up, frown in her face, ready to transform into Ladybug, but Adrien took her hand with a lot more force a wounded person should be using, keeping her from going.

''This is not a normal hostage situation, they need Ladybug!'' She argued with her boyfriend, but he didn't let go, didn't even look at her frustrated face, his eyes still glued to the tv.

''I don't want you go fight something we know nothing about… that smoke… it's… I can't describe it, but it feels… familiar'' He sounded as confused as she felt with his answer.

''I'm not touching it, but I need to help!''

Right as she said that, the TV showed a woman walking out of the front door of the house, surrounded by the red smoke. She wore an elegant black suit, tall stilettos supporting her, hair in a professional looking bun and a mask that covered the left side of her face, her eye only a red circle. As flimsy as that mask was, the reported still called her a ''mysterious woman'' even though to Marinette's eyes, that was clearly Gianna Rossi, Lila's mother.

Adrien let go of her hand to copy Sabine's gesture, covering his mouth in shock as he murmured the woman's name, confirming Marinette's suspicions.

''Both hands up! Where is judge Francoise and his family?'' A police officers yell came from the feed, his weapon pointing at the woman.

Gianna just stood there, at the entrance of the house, smiling at the cameras. She said nothing while the red smoke kept accumulating around her. Marinette noticed it was coming from her left eye, the creepy red circle. Soon, the smoke reached the officers that were closer to her, and though they looked afraid from it, they couldn't escape it in time before most of them fell to the ground. The rest, along with the cameras, fled from the scene as the smoke kept advancing towards more and more people. Then the feed was cut.


	17. Emotional resolve

''Answers, now'' Said government man number one, as Ladybug dubbed him in her head, having forgotten his name the second he finished hastily introducing himself.

She was distracted, too distracted, she realized, as she tried to will her brain to pay attention to the conversation she was supposed to be leading, not just listening to. But she couldn't help it. It was just too much, she admitted to herself after her short roof-stop rush towards the building they were currently in: The French national assembly building. Ladybug and her team didn't have any time to wonder at the fact that they were sitting alone in a very private meeting with a bunch of politicians and important peoples and what not, in one of the most important rooms of her country's history, because of the nature of said meeting: The deal that Gabriel Agreste carefully orchestrated for them was in danger, all because of Gianna Rossi's attack on the judge and his family.

''Already told you, sir, we don't respond for her, just like we didn't for Hawkmoth when he was attacking the city-'' Luka (Transformed into his superhero persona, as were the rest of them) was doing his best to represent the group, Chloe not being allowed to enter the reunion as she had no costume, a weird rule established by the people that convoqued them to this little reunion.

''That is not how this works, son. One thing was a crazy man doing.. emotional terrorism or whatever it was Gabriel Agreste did, another very different is sending one of our citizens to a vegetative state, along with his whole family! Four children, young man, we are talking about permanent consequences here, and we don't have any more time for games'' The man speaking seemed to be genuinelly concerned about the judge and his family, Ladybug noticed, but showing some humanity was not enough to make her trust a bunch of politicians with their identities. That was the only thing she was firm on that night, while the rest of her mind kept wandering on other topics that, though not entirely unrelated, had not been useful so far in the conversation.

''This was never a game for us'' Said Viperion in a grave voice now, making the man flinch a bit. Ladybug almost smiled. Even these men, who knew nothing about them (Which was the problem they had, actually) somehow sensed that the snake hero didn't get angry often, which made his slightly threatening tone quite effective.

The conversation had been going in circles for a while now, with the men in suits wanting information, anything, to deal with the new threat (Essentially, sending the whole deal Gabriel was proposing to the bin) while the superhero team didn't want to tell them anything, but knew that if these men didn't leave tonight somewhat content, there would be no deal anyways.

And that was one of the things that kept Ladybugs mind in panic mode: The fear of all of them, her friends, her boyfriend and herself, becoming vigilantes. No longer allowed to do their duties, followed everywhere until inevitably they started slipping and they discovered their identities one by one, dooming them. She couldn't afford that, couldn't stand the thought of living the same way Adrien did the past year, and the worst part? She hated herself for thinking that. Why could she accept that her boyfriend had no future, no plans, his life changed drastically and had no idea what would he do beyond the day after tomorrow… but she couldn't fathom that for herself? She didn't admire Adrien less for his troubles, in fact, it did the opposite: She considered him the bravest person in the universe, basically. But that life for her? She'd rather keep the secrets, the lies and the sense of normalcy.

''So you can't tell us anything at all, is that what our conclusion is gonna be? We are supposed to just stand by while our people gets attacked?'' Government man number one was getting sarcastic now, formality out the window the moment Viperion said no to his first request of giving up their identities.

''I… We didn't say that. We are not revealing ourselves, that is not up for discussion. But if you let us talk to each other for a moment, we can decide as a group what we can tell you and then try to make a plan to solve this, instead of having you get mad at us for not giving you information is not even useful in order to capture this new villain'' Viperion said, arms crossed. Carapace and Rena Rouge behind him nodded along, Ladybug did the same just a couple seconds later, still a bit distracted. Moth stood still, just listening quietly.

''Except this is not only about that… but well, go ahead, discuss'' The man did a gesture to his fellow government people and they left the room. Ladybug didn't hear that many steps after they closed the doors, though, so they were staying close.

There was an awkward pause while the heroes looked at each other, none of them wanting to do the talking and all of them stressed and tired after a long day filled with problems. Ladybug sighed, knowing it was her turn to speak when she noticed that Viperion was staring only at her, plead in his eyes.

''So… We obviously can't tell them who are'' She started, hesitant, then cleared her throat. ''Sorry I'm… I'm not exactly sure of what we should be telling them… what did you and master Fu decide was safe to share for the deal?'' She turned to Viperion, who was already shrugging.

''We didn't have time to even start talking about it, the trial was just today…'' He said.

''This happened so fast… What even IS that miraculous Lila's mom is wearing?'' Asked Rena, Carapace nodding by her side, emphasizing their confusion.

''Wait, you know her?'' Now it was the snake hero who was the most confused.

''Yeah, she's obviously Lila's mom, I don't remember her name but I recognized her right away, and so did Adrien'' Ladybug could feel her mind finally waking up, once the conversation turned into the tangible problems of the now and away from the mysteries of her future.

''But.. the glamour…'' The fox hero wondered out loud, catching up with Viperion in what the issue was.

''And the people just now didn't seem to know who she is'' Noted Antoine, speaking for the first time since they entered the room.

The red clad heroine turned to see what Luka would say but her heart jumped, seeing the horror in his face.

''That is not a normal miraculous… it's…''

In that moment, the Moth started shining and his transformation dropped, leaving Antoine with a nonchalant expression on his face, and a very worried Nooro.

''He wanted to say something'' Was all the explanation the man offered, shrugging like it didn't matter there were men right outside the door that could go in and see him.

''Guardian, you are right in your conclusion about this new miraculous, but you need to understand that you are not allowed to talk about this, not here'' The tiny purple thing looked around, nervous like he used to act when he was Gabriel's slave.

The kwami's words made every hero in the room widen their eyes once they understood.

''Cameras…'' Ladybug whispered, then frowned. This was a trap all along, wasn't it?

''What should we do? Forget Lila's mom, we can't discuss what we can tell them here if they are going to hear this anyways'' Rena did her best to whisper in a volume that allowed her friends to hear her, and hopefully avoid any microphone.

''This feels like a very bad spy movie'' Commented Carapace.

''What about you A-...um, you? They can see you!'' Viperion pointed at Antoine, who again, just shrugged.

''I'm a ghost'' He simply said, smirking.

''The human's can't know about the corrupted miraculous, or they will try to learn how to make them'' Said Nooro, in a tone that suggested he was repeated something from somewhere else, not making the sentence up. ''One of the sure ways of recognizing corrupted miraculous is when other users can see through the glamour. But that is it's only weakness, the corrupted miraculous are born from entirely negative concepts that are also part of humanity… they have no need for balance, their powers are devastation and suffering only''

The heroes in the room stared at the Kwami with panic in their eyes, until Ladybug remembered one tiny detail…

''Kwamis don't appear on camera's…'' She whispered, more to herself but loud enough for her teammates to relax, knowing now that Nooro's words are not contradicting themselves and would not reach anyone else. Ladybug facepalmed, remembering herself from just a few days ago, when she took a picture of Plagg sleeping with Adrien, looking adorable. She had forgotten about it completely, didn't even try to show it to her boyfriend, but now she knew it wouldn't even be there: It would be just one adorable creature in the photo, Adrien, not two.

Her little moment of shame passed as she realized the implications of Nooro's words.

''We talk about this later'' She announced. ''For now, this reunion is over'' She didn't want to risk revealing even more to those treacherous men outside the room.

Ladybug waited for everyone to show their agreement with her choice and for Antoine to transform back, then walked towards the door of the enormous room full of empty red seats. She opened them and called for the men outside to enter, informing them that they were ready.

''Well?'' Asked government man number one, who seemed to be in charge of most of the talking while the others did the intimidating. They were obviously all working together and not a bunch of politicians that were not in agreement, at least not on this, the heroine concluded.

''Here is the deal, sir.'' Ladybug started, crossing her arms and making sure her voice sounded just like it did when she spoke to Hawkmoth that first day of super-heroin, years ago.''You can make us vigilantes and try and get us, it would be a huge inconvenience for us and quite a bit dump of resources for you, but we would take it if it means we can do our jobs-''

''Wha-''

''Let me finish'' She lifted a hand to the man's face. ''We can go there, or we can make a deal here and now, with all the information we have already provided you being our part of it, along with the reassurance that we will catch this new villain, in exchange for peace''

''What information?! You have said nothing to us!'' The man was really good at acting, she had to admit. Almost fooled her.

''Everything you will extract from our conversation here, the one you recorded?'' She lifted an eyebrow.

The man's expression immediately switched from enraged to neutral, then lifted an eyebrow himself.

''Problem with this, young lady, is that we don't know if you said anything of importance or not'' He said, his voice completely changed from before. He no longer pretended to be the desperate for answers politician, opting for a calm demeanor instead.

''That is your problem to deal with, I'm afraid.'' She said, no longer feeling like she needed to be polite. ''Because if you don't accept this deal, we will still do our job, save this city, and keep our secrets, and you will have to spend millions in order to maybe catch one of us, not to mention our new terrorist''

''Bullets against magic, what would win, I wonder?'' Said Rena Rouge in a full sarcastic tone, smirking.

''And how many bullets, angry citizens, disasters and casualties would you need to call your little mission to find us a failure, I wonder?'' Continued the red heroine, copying Rena's tone.

The government men sighed, then looked at each other, then nodded.

''We.. get your point, Ladybug'' The heroine counted being called by her hero name and not -miss- or -young lady- or -lass- for the first time that evening a win. ''But this is not the last conversation we will have, there are laws to be made still, after all of this is dealt with''

''Don't think that just because we haven't used resources in order to capture you, we can't do it'' Said another government man, number two, she nicknamed him, apparently speaking out of line. She smiled when she noticed government man number one glare briefly at him.

''Oh please, everyone saw how futile your efforts were when Hawkmoth was rampat for two years, then you failed to capture a single boy -whose identity was out, by the way- for another year, and you wouldn't know who either of those people were if ANOTHER miraculous user didn't reveal them to you with her schemes'' She was letting out all her sass now, even heard Rena, Carapace and Moth snicker a bit, though Viperion remained serious when he joined in.

''And it's going to be the same with this villain, whether you help us or you don't, we are dealing with it as it is our duty-'' The snake hero got interrupted by Government man number two, who didn't learn from the stares of his mates and was not going control his anger, apparently.

''What does a kid -what are you, seventeen? nineteen tops- know about duty, huh? We are the ones in charge of protecting this country, you are just kids who happened to come by special powers!'' Said the man angrily, and even though Ladybug was not done with them yet, she was starting to understand their point of view a bit better… She understood frustration very well, after all.

''We might be just kids, but like it or not, we were chosen for this. Chat Noir or I accepted our fates and we have all learned our lessons, it's time you do the same, or get out of the way'' Ladybug made that last part sound as much as an ultimatum as she could, she was tired of this conversation.

There was silence for a moment, while the people in the room pondered at her words, agreeing or disagreeing with her points and the points of the men in the suits. After a while, Government man number one stepped up again and spoke in a low voice.

''Like I said before, we get your points, Ladybug. We accept them, for now. We deal with this woman, then we talk again''

''Good'' She said, and with that, the discussion was over.

Once they were outside of the building, and the range of anyone not superpowered with enhanced hearing, the team of heroes stood together for a moment. The snow was piling up around them and the cold would have been impossible to stand in, if it wasn't for their suits. One of the lamp post that was supposed to be illuminating them was broken, so the visibility was terrible, too.

''That was awesome'' Commented Carapace after a little whistle. Ladybug smiled, but then it faltered as her knees started trembling, and it wasn't just the cold: She realized she just used brute force as her winning card in a conversation with the leaders of her own country. It was so bizarre and outside of the realm of scenarios she ever imagined herself in, that it was hitting her harder and harder the more she thought about it. What was next? Yelling at the president?

''Yeah, well, they still know a lot from what they recorded'' Said Viperion, his expression uncharacteristically grave ever since they discovered there were cameras in the room.

''But it's good that they know who the villain is, right? They can arrest her'' Asked Rena, though she didn't sound that sure herself.

''Or they can get more people in a vegetative state, just like that judge and his family…'' Said Moth, the man didn't seem to have many reservations when it came to talking about hard topics, such as this one, but even he cringed his nose at the idea of more people looking like the four kids in the news… their empty stares and open, drooling mouths… Ladybug shook her head.

''We will discuss tomorrow, 4PM, my house'' She said, Carapace and Rena nodded, then after saying their goodbyes, left. A few seconds later Viperion did the same.

Ladybug started spinning her yoyo to leap towards the rooftops when a hand on her shoulder stopped her. It was the only person left, Moth.

''You'll be ok, kid'' He stated, looking at her in the eyes with a sincerity she only saw once on the man, when she interrogated him.

''I am ok'' She lied.

''I can feel emotions, remember? I could tell how afraid you were that whole time, specially at the beginning… but you are one of the most badass woman I know, and trust me, I've seen badass women'' He seemed to shudder for a second, then continue with a reassuring smile. ''Those people, the men in suits, they are not the enemy. I could tell, that whole time, even when they were lying through their teeth and pretending and what not, their intentions are clear to these powers... They actually do trust you. They have for a long time, probably, or you would have had these problems a lot earlier''

Ladybug looked at the floor, where snow was rapidly covering her feet. Tears were threatening to fall, but she sniffed and calmed down, before she looked at the man in front of her one more time, then started spinning her yoyo again as she spoke.

''Thank you, A.'' She said, not trusting her voice to add anything else, but his widened smile told her it was enough. She really needed to hear that, and he, of all people, delivered some relief to her.

''Alright, see you tomorrow, I suppose I'm invited though it's getting kind of weird for me to hang out with kids so much'' He joked, waited for Ladybug to giggle a bit, then leaped out of the dark, snowy street.

Moments after, she did the same.

Adrien hugged his girlfriend once she came back from that late night reunion with… who knew who, honestly. He certainly didn't, he thought bitterly, as he was still confined to the Dupain-Cheng's house. Not that he didn't like it there, in fact he loved it and felt very welcome, but he wasn't a house cat. Plagg mocked him, telling him he'd get fat if he kept eating so many pastries, and Adrien just chuckled at the joke, while he internally truly worried that there must be consequences from staying inside so long… Or maybe it was just his old self speaking, the one that desperately wanted freedom from his father.

''How did it go?'' He asked softly, still hugging her cold, still transformed, frame. Ladybug was covered in snow, which was kind of weird, since he knew from experience that it was hard to accumulate so much while jumping around. Then it hit him: She probably stood there, outside the house before entering, thinking who knows what.

The only thing he got for an answer was a small sniff, and a tighter embrace. He patted her back and stood there, holding the most important person in his world and thinking about what could he do to make her feel better without knowing what was distressing her, when she spoke.

''How do you do it?'' She asked, her voice still firm but he could tell she was holding back tears already. ''How do you continue without a plan, knowing that.. that your future is a mystery and everyone knows who you are… you can't even go back to school! How do you stand it?'' She demanded, her voice getting more and more strained as she spoke.

Adrien sighed, in part from relief at finally knowing what was bothering her (And that it wasn't bad news from the reunion) but also in part because he knew this conversation was coming, deep down. He also knew he had no answer for her.

''I don't know… I just… as long as I'm free, I'm okay, I suppose…'' He really didn't want to tell her this one truth about himself: That he almost enjoyed not knowing.

Ladybug started shining, and then Marinette stood in her place, still holding tears but looking thoughtful, more than desperate of sad, now that he could see her face, as it was no longer buried in his chest.

''It's so weird to know how opposite we truly are, but I don't hate it… I just… I don't want that for myself… Sorry'' That last word was tiny, surrounded by shame. Was she afraid of hurting HIS feelings? Adrien chuckled.

''I'm not offended, my lady'' He smiled. ''As I'm sure you wouldn't be offended if I told you that I don't really care that I don't know if I'll be able to go to college, or even finish school, or get a normal job one day'' She shook her head in response.

''I don't care! I'll be a famous designer so I can feed you and our hamster and… whatever'' She blushed so hard and suddenly, even Tikki joined with the laughter Adrien couldn't help but let out.

''Hey!'' She complained, but she was also smiling.

After the boy and the kwami calmed down, Tikki announced that she would go upstairs to sleep, leaving them alone once more. Still at the entryway of the house, almost all the lights were off except for the one above them. Outside, snow fell aggressively in the darkness.

''B-but… don't you have any dreams? What about physics, I thought you liked that…'' She said, no longer as stressed as she seemed to be around the topic as before, but still hesitant.

''I like many things, not just physics'' He said, chuckling softly again… He did miss fencing, and Chinese, even modeling… piano not so much, though, as his father really liked using that one as punishment more than the others. ''But before all this… before being Chat Noir, all I wanted was to go out… have a normal life, I don't even know what that means anymore though, because that is definitely what I'm not having ever again…'' He stopped talking -Maybe he should be sad about his life, he thought briefly, before shaking his head- ''I do miss things, and I'd be lying if I said I don't want to go back to school and be with everyone else, but I'm ...honestly fine, if I don't. I'll find something to do, save people, stay with you… That is my plan, I guess''

His little speech seemed to get deep inside Marinette's head, who looked like she was finally calming down for real. The girl smiled warmly, then hugged him again.

Adrien wasn't sure if he said the right thing at all, because he never mentioned any solution to his problems, or any reason for her to not be stressed by the possibility of joining him in the 'superhero hobo' life as he liked to call it. But as they hugged, longer and without sniffing this time, he calmed down too, somehow sure that they would be fine, even if they didn't share the exact same fears, they were both strong in their own ways, and they would stay together no matter what.

It was all that mattered.


	18. Greed

Nathalie sighed in relief when they didn't lock her apart from Gabriel right away, for whatever reason. She looked over to the man she had risked her career, life and heart for, pondered for a second if it was all worth it, then decided that it was. She had that same debacle within herself everyday she had been locked up, and each time the cheesy, lovesick and stubborn part of her won over the cold, calculating career woman she showed to the world. She knew what she got into the moment she saw Emily Agreste create a fairy to entertain her son, all those years ago...and she knew she wouldn't get out of it the moment her heart started to ache for the man who lost his dearest, who showed her what real passion looked like.

Nathalie was sure that she could never reveal to anybody that she was not ashamed of admiring Hawkmoth like she once did, at least not without receiving scorn and disgust in return. Adrien specially should never learn that, while she did care for him very much, she chose Hawkmoth over his safety and happiness over and over again. She even chose Hawkmoth over her own safety and happiness. This was not different, she hadn't changed at all, not even when the man she now waited patiently to answer her questions had changed sides completely.

''I didn't know Gianna would do that, it was completely unexpected'' He finally replied to her unspoken question, the one she communicated to him with just a look while the new miraculous user revealed herself in TV in the repetition of the afternoon.

Nathalie surprised herself by feeling relieved at that, another tiny drop added to the vase of trust Gabriel was earning not just with the heroes and his son, but with her as well. She would follow him everywhere, yes, but she wanted to be on the secrets too, all the way.

Gabriel looked very thoughtful as he held a tiny piece of paper in his hands.

''What is that?'' She asked, as he was probably waiting for her to do.

''The man that now wears the butterfly miraculous gave it to me…'' He said, his tone showing a degree of confusion Nathalie expected would be explained soon enough. ''He did it while we were in that dark room after the trial…''

''Like… how you did with Ladybug? You gave her a piece of paper too, to have that meeting'' Nathalie's eyes were wide open now. Gabriel nodded.

''Except I don't know who this man is, just that Ladybug and my son trust him enough to have him there… he might even know the rest of the heroes identities, and he knows our plans too'' Gabriel said, almost as if he was thinking out loud. Nathalie was grateful for the privacy they had for the moment, though she wasn't sure how long it would last. ''But… something is strange about him I- well, I can still feel others emotions even after so long of not wearing the butterfly miraculous, I still have that power, even if its fainter than before''

Nathalie knew that much, at least. She didn't retain anything from being Mayura, probably because she never wore the miraculous all that long, acting more as a secret weapon.

''He is using the same powers as I held for so long, he can feel emotions too, and when I was in the same room as him we kind of… resonated? I don't know how to explain it, but it was almost like reading his mind- Just not exactly…'' He sounded so confused, but Nathalie just nodded, prompting him to continue anyways. But Gabriel didn't, just shook his head and looked at the paper in his hands once more.

''Is that a number?'' She asked when she got close enough to inspect the paper. It looked like a phone number, though it was foreign.

''I haven't called yet'' The implication was clear: He wanted Nathalie to know all this and approve before going further. Whatever it meant.

And so Nathalie nodded, staring at the man's eyes, letting him know that she would, indeed, follow him with this, wherever it lead.

A guard opened the door of their shared temporary imprisonment.

Chloe liked their little meetings, usually. She would never admit this outloud, but she loved the camaraderie and the plotting and the interactions between the people she now could call friends, though, again, not out loud. Usually.

But this one was particularly tense, more so than when they lost battles that only her boyfriend knew about, or Adrien stopped sending letters, or even the one after the gala. All of those were crises, and in all of those people were sad, angry, frustrated or all of that together. But they also did their best to lift each other up, to offer hope, to keep going.

''The government men told me after they listened to our conversation that Gianna is no longer in her home. She must have known somehow that we would recognize her'' Said Marinette, her tone flat.

''I could go out and try tracking her, but…'' Adrikins sentence was left unfinished, the implication clear to everyone listening: He was still too hurt to go out prowling.

''It's so cold outside too'' Commented Alya for the third time that hour, and not even Chloe could get annoyed at the obvious statement anymore. The cold was THAT amazingly bad, it still awed them every time they went outside, suit or no suit.

There was a collective sigh.

It took awhile for Chloe to put a finger on what bothered her so much about this one meeting, but it was now clear: This was the first time they all acted as if they were losing.

It wasn't really a surprise, they had been 'losing' for a while now, a year almost. The Gala didn't feel like a win, even though their enemy ended up dead. The balance or whatever it was that caused winter to become the worst Paris has had in centuries was getting worse by the day. Ladybug had.. performance issues, Adrikins was hurt and basically homeless, she had no miraculous to help anybody and now Gabriel was on his way of taking Chloe's place as the spokesperson for the team. The blond looked over her shoulder, to her boyfriends face, and sighed again. Luka had been really quiet and angry-looking since the meeting with the government men that no one invited her to. It seemed to have only gotten worse after the attack on the judge.

''We need to talk about that miraculous Gianna Rossi was wearing'' Said Master Fu after sending a compliant gaze towards Luka, who nodded. His voice was ominous, like someone who is about to deliver really bad news.

''She has the box, obviously'' Said Alya.

''She wasn't wearing any of the miraculous from the box'' Said Marinette, softly. ''I wore all of them once, there wasn't anything like that in there''

''And we recognized her immediately, though no one else did until we opened our mouths at the meeting with the government men'' Carapace commented, catching on the weight of the mystery they had at hands.

''I didn't recognize her at all, and I had plenty of interactions with that woman before…'' Added Chloe, crossing her arms.

''Only people bonded with a miraculous can look past the glamour of a cursed jewel'' Said Luka with the same tone Fu used earlier.

''All right, enough shadiness, explain'' Alya was getting as frustrated as Chloe usually felt when she didn't get straight away the answers she wanted. The blonde frowned, realizing that she had been part of the derrotist mood in the room as well. Enough of that.

''Agreed, Luka, love, what is this about that has you all edgy and emo and broody?'' Chloe smiled once she saw her boyfriends face become red as he turned his head to stare at her, eyes wide.

There was a round of chuckling and the blonde felt satisfied, at least he was not wearing that awful expression anymore. The air felt lighter already.

''Ehem.. well, um. Master?'' Chloe's comment must have really shaken him, she smirked, thinking of the irony of someone that looked like him getting all self conscious about being called ''edgelord'' .

Master Fu closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and said. ''I need the permission of the kwamis to talk about this freely''

Tikki and Plagg, as if on cue, floated to the center of the room, where the table laid full of food, the Dupain-Cheng's pastries rejected for the moment by most of them. The other kwamis remained close to their charges, in different positions, the most attention grabbing one being Nooro lying on top of Antoine's head. The man was the only one that hadn't said a word, and also the only one that was currently eating the delicacies Sabine and Tom left for them.

''As you all know, it is the duty of the guardians to hold and explain when it's needed the knowledge of the miraculous history and the secrets it hides'' Tikki started explaining, her cute little voice in dissonance with the heavy words she was about to speak. ''This topic is no different, except-''

''Except the guardians don't have the right, without our permission, to say anything to humans'' It was obvious, even to Chloe, that Plagg was doing his best to appear serious, but he had cheese crumbs on a cheek. Not even that made the rest of the people in the room less worried at his words, however.

Everyone in the group had a frown in their faces, but Marinette had a canyon in there. ''We know you like to keep some stuff to yourselves, Tikki, but you end up revealing things when we need them anyways… why the fuss now?''

''Because this has to do with the reason the miraculous exist in the first place'' Said Master Fu.

''And if the wrong humans knew about what we are about to tell you, balance would be even more compromised than it is now'' Said Tikki, a little reassuring smile back on her face as she offered a look towards Marinette that Chloe interpreted as 'Don't worry, you are not the wrong kind of human'

''People would die'' Said Plagg, in his own flavor of 'I like to make people think I don't care but I do, a lot'.

''You mean, people would die even more?'' Antoine spoke for the first time, his usual humor absent. ''Because this cold is not exactly safe, not to mention we are not even that far up north''

Chloe glanced over at everyone, her eyes full of worry just like everyone else's as they all thought the same thing: We don't need a reminder of this, we already knew.

''Plagg never mentions death'' Said Adrikins, all of a sudden, ending the charged silence. ''Even when he talks about past disasters...So I'm officially terrified of this, are you sure we should hear about it?'' He finished speaking as he switched between looking at his own kwami and Tikki.

''As the chosen heroes of this generation, yes, it is time you learn of this in order to solve this new problem'' Said Master Fu, then his voice softened. ''The mere fact that you are worried if you should or not learn about this is a good sign'' The kwamis all agreed in different ways after Fu said this.

''Well, explain then'' Said Chloe.

''I'm sure every one of you has heard of the seven sins, at least once'' Luka said, making Chloe realize for the first time that he probably knew what this was all about… which explained his mood and his silence for the past day.

There was a collective round of ''yeah's'' and ''aha's'' and nods, then the guitarist inhaled, exhaled, and continued explaining:

''The kwamis are all power born from human concepts and ideas, everything from the very base of reality, such as Creation and Destruction, to things like Time, Emotions, Protection, Truth and Lies, etc. All of those ideas are neutral by nature: Depending on who uses the powers the kwamis offer, they could be used for evil or for good or a mix between both. Balance is maintained in the world by having a constant clash of good and evil, everywhere: In the Universe as a whole, country to country, person to person, and even within one single human: Everything is different degrees of gray, and if you somehow were able to sum the whole of sentience, you would get the most neutral of grays a a result. The middle where everything meets, those are the kwamis, the gods that grant power to humans.

But, long ago, when humanity was still young, the kwamis realized, along with the people that would be the very first heroes and guardians, that there was a tendency for evil to grow a lot faster, to manifest a lot easier, than good. So they created the order of the guardians, and made a pact: The miraculous, the jewels we wear now, would be created and assigned not just to people that were compatible with the power, but also people who wanted to help more than to harm, who were more selfless than selfish, people who, ultimately, cared. It was never about skill, or knowing the truth about everything, or obeying any kind of law made by humans; It was always about caring about one another. That is the criteria the guardian's have been trying to stick to for millenia.

That pact has been broken a few times, but there were always other miraculous users, other heroes, to help balance everything back. When Hawkmoth started using the butterfly miraculous for his own selfish purposes, Master Fu had to choose the next generation of heroes to stop him. This has happened over and over, with different miraculous, and it will keep happening, as long as we remain grey. It's in human nature. The sins, as human named them with good reason, are part of everyone, too, they are the black in everyone. We all get bouts of wraith, we can be lazy, we can be greedy. But when a sin becomes pure, a pure concept accumulated in one single place, that sin can be reborn as a new miraculous… though I don't think they deserve that name. A new jewel can be created, and can be used only by humans that have a great concentration of the sin in them. And when using it, that human becomes more and more tainted, the gray turns into black, and balance is compromised.

A miraculous user with the power to express that sin, to share it with the world, had almost no limitations: It's pure evil, and it needs to be fought with the force of most if not all of the other jewels, or it will contaminate all of sentience. It has a few flaws, however, as it is a jewel forged after the pact with the guardians, where magic was used to protect and regulate the humans that would be using them. Things like the glamour, the need to be an adult to fully use the powers, the time limits, the ability to manipulate the appearance of the jewel in camouflage mode and our suits, all of that and more was part of the pact with the first guardians. Any human bonded with a kwami would be able to tell who is behind the mask of a cursed miraculous if they know them and a cursed miraculous true appearance would not be hidden to us, but that is all. They don't have limits to their powers, only whatever the human using it wants to apply, for whatever reason… It varies between the sins, Sloth tends to go really slow when corrupting the world, as you would imagine. It doesn't make it any less dangerous, though''

The questions in everyone's head as Luka spoke grew and grew, until this little pause in his speech allowed them to let them out: Everyone in the room spoke at the same time, except for the Kwamis and Master Fu. The volume and messiness of the questions amplified until the chaos in the room was too much, so Chloe decided to let her question be one of the last if only to stop adding noise. Apparently, she wasn't the only with that same idea, because soon enough, the voices all quieted and there was an awkward moment where everyone looked at each other, waiting for someone to DARE ask their question first.

''This is silly'' Said Marinette, her mood sour. Then Ladybug spoke: ''Luka, are you saying that anyone that knows about this could… potentially create a new miraculous out of thin air?''

The question and the Ladybug-esque tone of voice were enough to keep everyone satisfied and in silence as Luka pondered the answer. But it was Master Fu who took the metaphorical microphone next.

''No, not out of thin air, and please don't underestimate the amount of sin needed for this to happen. It has only happened three times before, in all of human history… all of them a different sin too, which made some guardians fear, reasonably so, that it would happen again until all the sins existed as a jewel''

''What happened to the other ones?'' ''Are they in some kind of vault where you can grab and use them!?'' ''What sins? which one is this one?!'' ''What else is needed in order to create one of these?'' ''How did the old heroes defeat it?''

And many more questions exploded at the same time.

Master Fu lifted his hands in defeat, quieting everyone once again.

''Luka?'' He said, once order was recovered. The boy in question looked mortified, probably ashamed because he paused and didn't finish explaining in the first place, Chloe realized, thinking at the same time that he was being silly. The room would have exploded anyways, with this kind of revelation.

''Ehem… thank you, Master'' Said the snake hero. ''The cursed kwamis and their jewels can only be created by a huge, and I mean HUGE, amount of sin accumulated in a place. It has to be tied to a single place, and it usually takes a long, long time for the location to become cursed. The, um, energy or magic, I suppose we can call it either, necessary for this to happen is so much that the last time this happened, it took centuries, and the human that started the cycle weren't even alive by the time the cursed jewel was ready. I think the most known example of this happening was Atlantis, right Plagg?'' The guitarist waited for the Kwami to realize that he was giving him the chance to explain that one, but the cat took a while, as he was too busy munching on the cheese at the center of the table to notice.

This cat I swear, thought Chloe rolling her eyes, How can he be so nonchalant when we are talking of such heavy things? Tikki seemed to share her sentiment, because the little red goddess was also rolling her eyes.

''Oh um, well, that one! a good story yeah…'' He finished gulping his camembert before continuing with a word vomit the old Marinette would have been proud of: ''The old man wanted to expand his city or whatever, but that meant making the fish people leave their territory around the island, you see? And so he made it a rule that all the generations of kings and queens had to go to war with the fishies. After a couple centuries, the place was so full of Greed it stank more than the dead fishy and non-fishy people after the wars. And that was when she was born, and she made a crown, because -of course-, and gave it to the other old man, who was the gran gran son of the first old man.''

The look of confusion on everyone's faces was comical, Chloe knew that she wore that same raised eyebrow and cringing mouth herself, though.

''And then he -the old man, the last king of Atlantis- used the power to finally take over the sea around the city, but by then the order knew of his affairs and sent Tikki and I to solve the problem. We chose a couple of fishies, part of the survivors, and well, by the end of it the only solution was to sink the whole thing, you know? So Tikki let us do it, me and the kitten. So we did it! we cataclysmed the whole thing down and, I think the fishies now live there?'' He looked over to Tikki for reassurance, who just nodded after rolling her eyes for the tenth time during Plagg's story. ''And since then the fishies don't like sharing at all, I think they learnt a bit too much from the old man and his greed, if you ask me''

The story was so ridiculous it had to be true, Chloe thought.

''What were the powers of the Greed miraculous?'' Asked Marinette, always with the good questions.

''He could transform the ocean into land, but it was dead land, only taking from the merpeople and only gaining space for his slaves to build more of Atlantis'' Tikki answered that one, thank the kwamis. Wait, merpeople? That's what Plagg meant by 'fishies'? ''It he continued, Earth would have been left without its oceans, you can imagine how bad that would have been''

''Mermaids exist!?'' Nino and Alya asked at the same time, with different degrees of excitement. Nino seemed terrified, his girlfriend, on the other hand, was fascinated.

''There are many creations humans don't know about'' Said Tikki with a tiny cheeky smile, acting all mysterious ''But we are getting off topic''

''How does Gianna Rossi have a cursed miraculous, I think, is the most important question'' Said Adrikins, fingers on his chin as he thought. He didn't look at all impressed by the idea of mermaids existing, probably already knew about it, Chloe realized.

''No'' Said Marinette, standing up. ''How to defeat it, THAT is the most important question'' She said, and the blonde couldn't help but nod along the rest.

So they had an enemy that once upon a time required a whole city to be sunk down the seas to be defeated… Chloe wondered, not for the first time that evening, what would be necessary in order to avoid disaster this time?

Gabriel Agreste, as soon as he got separated from Nathalie, called for the guard outside his room and asked for his one call allowed for the week. He never used it before, and the guard was fast to point that out and call him a very cold father, asking what made him change his mind, questions the man ignored easily as he walked towards the phone.

He didn't doubt that his conversation wouldn't be very private, but he was too curious to wait any longer. He clutched the paper the new Moth user gave him as he walked, then looked it up as he dialed the number in it once he reached the phone.

''Hello?'' He asked, monotone and not impressed by the fast response on the other side of the line. The call didn't even beep once.

''Gabriel Agreste! I've been waiting for your call'' Said a happy voice.

''Who is this?''

''You can call me Mister M., Gabriel''


	19. Clarity

Ashe watched and listened carefully at the conversation between her boss and Mr. Agreste, keeping her thoughts to herself until the man hanged the phone and looked at her, smile on his face.

''I suppose that went well?'' She asked, almost stepping over the boundaries of her role. He never minded, however, and this time wasn't the exception.

''As expected, Agreste is compliant'' Said Mr. M., turning around and walking towards the bar to pour himself some wine. ''And who wouldn't be? I just had to tell him how in my thumb he and his family really are. It's not a complicated thing, you either obey or you risk getting your loved ones killed'' Ashe's boss stopped smiling as he said that last part, then drank his whole cup in one go.

''Your son, sir?'' She questioned, following a hunch.

M. just frowned and avoided her gaze, then started smiling again. ''He's fine, probably planning something behind my back as always''

It was one of those rare times when the man that hired her would do anything close to admitting he cares about his own family. It was a specially daunting situation when you knew what he did to his late wife. Ashe didn't let any of her emotions show on her face, keeping her stoicism and concentrating on what was important: The mission.

''What do you want us to do now, sir?'' She asked. ''With Gabriel Agreste, I mean''

''Nothing yet, I like him frightened and still, for now''

There was a long, charged pause while Ashe carefully chose her next words:

''And what about the reporters, sir?'' She said, almost cringing when she saw the placid expression on the man flinch as she mentioned their most recent problem.

''They still bothering us?'' He asked, his voice low and dangerous.

''There around ten tents camping outside the temple now, sir, and one of the men heard an helicopter earlier, though I doubt that's what he heard honestly, with these storms…'' She tried to reassure him, but both of them knew that didn't change the facts: Their secret invasion of the mysterious temple was not so secret anymore, and there was a limit to how much you could shut people up with bribes or threats.

''How the hell are they camping in this weather?! Those crazy bastards'' Commented her boss, letting his frustration openly show now.

''I think what's happening in Paris is motivating them, sir. People are connecting the dots between the supernatural things happening in there, and the symbols and what the apparition of this temple represents'' He already knew most of that, she was aware, but still felt the need to make him take the events in Paris more seriously. She saw one big flaw on her bosses plan and, afraid of insulting him by mentioning it directly, she prefered this method of suggestion to make him think about it.

''Paris has been a center point for shit for years, and when this temple apparead and Hawkmoth was rampant there wasn't this much fuss about it, heck we took it easily, just a few phone calls!'' He said, still not getting it. The woman let out a sigh.

''What? What is it that you are thinking and not telling me, Ashe?'' He challenged her, and she knew she had to answer now.

''When Hawkmoth was terrorizing the city, there weren't any permanent casualties, sir'' She started, relieved to see that he was more surprised than insulted by her obvious statement. ''This new villain, though, is leaving people in vegetative states and so far the heroes have not shown or said that they can fix it…''

''I see…'' He said, his eyes wide open. ''They got used to things being fixed every time something happened… it was almost like a game, before… But this woman changed everything somehow…''

Ashe was about to allow herself to feel relieved, knowing that her boss finally understood what they were up against: Not just the heroes of Paris, but a dangerous new villain too, when he started laughing.

''...sir?'' She asked, worried.

''I want that! Whatever it is that woman has, I want it! I want to know how she got it, what it is and why the powers of the all powerful Ladybug can't do anything about it!''

...

''Master, do you think Gianna is the reason the balance is off?'' Asked Luka, going straight to the point seconds after serving tea to the elder man and Antoine, who was staying with them again. The later looked very surprised that they would share such a conversation with him, but Luka saw no point in being distrustful. Ladybug allowed Antoine to join them, and so would he. Fu, on the other hand, hesitated, glaring at the former agent for a second, before answering.

''Part of it, probably is'' He said, then sipped from his tea. ''Antoine, do you know what the situation is right now at the temple?''

The man shook his head almost immediately. ''I told you guys everything I know, I wasn't even there when they took control of it'' He sounded disappointed as he spoke ''I was a new agent when all this started to happen, I didn't have many information privileges, all I know is that there are around fifty people currently working on the temple and outside of it, looking for miraculouses for Mister M., but even that might be wrong''

''What about the man you were working with? your partner, Dragon?'' Asked Luka this time, with a lot less suspicion in his voice than Fu had. The older man just drank his tea not looking the least bit ashamed as he listened.

''He's the boss's son, that's it. I don't even know his name, and he might be dead already…'' Said Antoine, looking at his hands in a way that told Luka that was not all he had to say.

''Oh please, out with it already'' Said Fu, sounding annoyed. Saying that Luka was extremely surprised at the old guardian's attitude would be an understatement.

''Master? What are you so mad about?''

''I saw this man passing something to Gabriel Agreste, I'm old not stupid, Antoine Brun. Now tell us what are you scheming right now or you're gonna have to look for a new place to stay, right now, in the middle of a stormy night'' Master Fu said, venom in his voice. Luka frowned as he flipped between staring at the angry looking guardian and the sad looking ex-agent.

''I'm not scheming'' Said Antoine after a charged silence. He had no energy on his voice at all, and Nooro was hovering worriedly on his shoulder. ''It's Mister M. who's doing that, and he's using me for it'' He confessed.

Luka crossed his arms, joining Fu in the glaring contest, and said: ''Alright, explanation, now''

Antoine sighed one more time, then started talking.

''We are surrounded by them, M.'s people, that is. I'm letting him think I'm one of them by doing some of his bidding for now, because being a double agent is a lot more useful to you guys than me being completely cut off as an enemy'' Luka realized, while the man explained, that he probably planned on saying all of this from the start, but he wasn't sure if he was being manipulated or not at this point. ''He wanted a way to directly communicate with Gabriel Agreste, that is all I've done for him since joining your team. He probably has something on Agreste and wants to use him as well, though judging by the way he threatened me, it's probably someone close to Adrien that is working for them''

There wasn't an audible gasp coming from Luka or Master Fu, but the tension on the room was palpable and evidence enough that they were NOT expecting that kind of information when they started this conversation.

''Why didn't you say anything earlier?! That's what our reunions are for!'' Luka yelled, getting up to grab the man and let his frustration out, but this time Fu was being the level headed one, stopping him with a hand on his chest.

''Because we don't know who that might be…or rather, Antoine doesn't, is that it?'' Said the master, still angry but much more subdued now, offering an obvious olive branch that Antoine took gladly.

''Yes, I wanted to tell Ladybug first but… well, she's not- It was right after the meeting with the government people and she was very distraught…'' And Luka remembered Ladybugs face all through that reunion. Yes, Ladybug didn't need more bad news right after that. But she was also their leader. ''So I just made her feel better instead of breaking her confidence even more''

This time Master Fu sighed loudly, the tension in his body gone.

''And you did well, I'll give you that, young man'' Antoine nervously chuckled at the comment, probably not feeling like he deserved the 'young' part. ''She's stressed enough as it is.. and I suspect that has something to do with our weather problems too''

''What do you mean? You think it's her fault?!'' Luka was far from getting over his worry, however.

''I don't know, but why is she the only one having issues with her powers if balance is broken?'' And that was the question, wasn't it? Luka thought, staying silent after that.

It was such an obvious thing, that Luka realized in that moment that Ladybug probably already thought about it, which made things even worse. Adrien has not mentioned any weird behavior of his own problem, and no one else has either. Only her. Luka wanted to immediately get up and go talk to her, but there was one more matter to discuss before he could try to comfort his friend.

''What does M. have on you, Antoine? Why he believes you are willing to obey him?'' He asked, and Antoine offered a sad smile before responding.

''My family'' He said, looking at his hands again. At his ring finger, empty. ''He knows of them, they were the whole reason why I started working for shady organizations like his in the first place. He just needs to make one call'' The implication was clear and Luka was starting to feel sick.

''B-but then, why are you helping us, instead?''

''Because, logically, there's absolutely no guarantee that my family would be safe if I didn't do this'' He said with a sadness that Luka could almost feel himself as he started at Antoine's dark eyes. ''I know exactly how ruthless M. is, and I decided it's safer for me to do this for now while I find a way to hide my family… if M. gets any miraculous under his wing, it would be a lot harder to help them'' And right after he said that, the ex-agents eyes expanded and he stood very still.

Luka was still processing what the man just said when he noticed that change in demeanor, that went from confusion to surprise in a second.

''What?'' He asked.

''T… my partner, I-I'' Antoine whispered. ''I understand what he meant, back then… when he fought against Adrien!'' The man's energy levels raised as he spoke, obviously realizing something while doing so. ''He wanted to destroy the miraculous so his father wouldn't get them! I'm sure!''

''Why is that important? You said he died'' Said Fu, frowning in confusion.

''That's why he wanted the cat miraculous and didn't care about the rest…'' The man kept saying mostly to himself. ''He wasn't angry! I got it all wrong!''

''Antoine?'' Asked Luka this time, sporting the same confused expression as Fu, mixed with the unavoidable pity he was feeling towards the man because of the situation he was in. Luka couldn't help but think that he was using this new 'discovery' to distract himself from the fact that his family was in danger…

Antoine then started pacing around the small room, knocking over his cup of tea as he got up. Nooro followed him in silence, but right as Luka and Fu were starting to get worried things escalated. The butterfly user started clutching his head and grunting in pain, stopping on his tracks as he dropped to his knees.

''Antoine!'' Luka screamed, running to help the man calm down.

But he wasn't screaming or answering their calls, and Nooro went from worried to excited in a second.

''The hell is going on?!'' Exclaimed the young guardian, looking back at Fu, who was wide eyed looking at the scene.

''Nooro!'' Called the old master, and the violet kwami stopped bouncing in the air like a kid in a toy store for a second to register how mad the situation really looked like.

''He's the one, master! He can do it!''

And then it dawned on Luka and Fu at the same time, what was happening. And while they thought about it as they looked at Antoine in awe, the man calmed down and stopped clutching his head with his hands.

''I understand now'' He murmured.

...

''Those are so cool, Bugaboo'' Said a voice on her back, making her jump on her seat. She screamed when she realized that her scare made her do a line on her design that she didn't intend to do at all, while Adrien laughed at her antics.

''So sorry!'' He apologized while still laughing at her. ''Didn't mean to scare you''

''It's ok I can fix it'' She said while erasing the unwanted line, not even bothering to look upset as she would usually do to tease her boyfriend.

''Wow, you're really in the zone with those, I'm glad'' He said, his voice full of honest admiration this time.

''Y-yeah… It's for my apprenticeship…'' She commented, looking at the collection of design ideas she managed to create in the past hours. It was almost 2AM, so that meant she spent the last four hours after their meeting just drawing.

''Isn't it a bit… risky, though?'' Said Adrien, now taking more time to look at the drawings on her desk. All of them were Ladybug outfit designs.

''I thought the same, but… well, I don't know how to explain, I think Tina really means well with this'' She said, not sure how to express the mixed feelings she had about this. Heck, she wasn't even sure she would show them to Tina.

''I really like this one!'' Tikki chimed in, holding one of the papers as she floated in front of Adrien and Marinette's faces.

Moments after the ex-model and the kwami were discussing the pro's and con's of the almost fifteen versions of the Ladybug suit that she drew that evening.

''Man, I want Chat Noir to have a new suit too'' Commented Adrien after he ended up agreeing with Tikki that a mix between design #2 and #10 was the best, which was NOT, by the way. Did they really think Ladybug going out in full Mech suit was appropriate?, Marinette tossed those in as ideas almost as a joke.

''What would you change?'' Asked Marinette, honestly curious.

''Well for starters, I think I've outgrown the bell''

They laughed and joked about their suits, and all was well in the world for the couple. Later that night, while trying to fall asleep, Marinette wondered at how easy it was to forget all her problems when she was with Adrien. She wasn't sure if it was a good or a bad thing, though.


	20. Cold tea

The young master woke up before the sun reached the hospital room, so Longg didn't get to see him open his eyes and instantly alert the nurses to come in until they almost saw him. The little dragon hid behind the curtain that blocked the view outside, though there wasn't anything to see, really. Just another storm wreaking havoc in Saint-Malo.

After the nurses finished executing the protocol that ensured that Trevor was indeed mostly ok after being in a coma for days, they started asking him questions. Longg didn't see anyone's faces, but he already knew by the way the conversation was going that Trevor would not say anything, though the important reasons behind the man's actions still eluded the Kwami. They hadn't really talked at all since he fell into his hands almost a year ago, the young master was very good at ignoring him, and Longg wasn't the type of entity to annoy their user until the spoke, like a certain cat, or to rile them up with provocative comments like he knew Nooro did sometimes. The dragon knew that patience was a kind of power, and power was all he was about.

''Sir, we will need at least a name to register you as one of the victims of the...attack, there might be people looking for you after all'' Asked the nurse with a tone that implied she didn't really expect him to give them much after all the failed interrogation.

There was a very long pause, and Longg even heard one of the two nurses starting to walk away after sighing but the agent's voice stopped her in her tracks.

''Trevor Maciel'' He said, his voice still raspy from being unused for so long.

The nurses thanked him and seemed to be content with just that information for now, probably aware that he needed some time to truly wake up. Neither of them knew of the little god hiding in that same room that was having the closest thing to a heart attack a kwami could get. Longg had never heard his charge's name out loud, not to himself, not in the phone calls he had with his father, not with his partner. Why was he giving it away now? Longg worried that the young master might be seriously hurt in the head after a building fell over him, but when he came out of his hiding spot he felt immediately paralized by the intense gaze of the injured man in the bed.

''Why?'' He simply asked, a little bit overwhelmed by the implications of his charge finally acknowledging his existence with a stare and a name.

''I lost'' He said, though he didn't sound sad or frustrated, just stating a fact after waking up in a hospital surrounded by strangers days after fighting the embodiment of destruction for his powers.

''Yes you did youn-''

''I lacked power'' Trevor interrupted Longg, same tone as before.

The dragon didn't bother to conceal his confusion this time, not really knowing where this conversation was going, and not even sure if he was happy or not that it was happening at all.

''You are the kwami of power, yet I couldn't defeat my enemies''

Longg decided to stay quiet, wait for the man to keep talking. They continued the staring contest for almost a minute, Trevor's scarred face and unreadable, cold blue gaze never leaving the kwami's.

''Teach me'' He finally said, and suddenly he wasn't so unreadable anymore as the fear on his voice became transparent to Longg.

''So?'' Asked Master Fu, all his previous anger and distrust for the man that just left the room gone.

After his little fit, Antoine stated that he needed some air and just left them with their questions hanging. But Nooro stayed, and the old guardian figured that wasn't an accident. The purple kwami inhaled as if trying to control his nerves, then started speaking.

''He's a perfect fit! He has fulfilled the potential of the butterfly miraculous, been on both sides of the emotional range and has unlocked the power to use his perception on his memories, he can also connect with dreams! I've seen it!'' Fu realized his mistake in thinking that Nooro was nervous… Turns out the creature's vibration and attempts to control himself were due to extreme excitement instead. .

''I… understood partially what you just said, Nooro'' Said Luka as gentle as possible ''Care to elaborate?''

''Oh, sorry'' The purple kwami apologized, but before he could start another word vomit Fu stopped him.

''You mean, Antoine has bonded with you completely?'' Asked the master, skeptical.

''Not just that! Antoine is the first user I've had in centuries to be able to use all my power!''

And just like that, the conversation evolved into what that implied exactly and how did Antoine get to that point so fast considering Gabriel was Hawkmoth for a lot longer. They got interrupted minutes later by the man himself, coming back from his mind clearing walk, covered in snow.

''It's awful out there'' He said once he got everyone's attention. Fu raised an eyebrow, noticing something strange about the man that wasn't there before, but couldn't put a name to it.

''How are you feeling? Did you use it?'' Asked Nooro, probably referring to one of the new powers they were just talking about: The ability to look into your own memories, and sense what the people in them were feeling. A retcon ability with so many possibilities… and it was in the hands of the man who had the most contact with their mysterious enemy. Very convenient indeed, thought Fu.

Antoine took a good look at the two guardians and the kwamis in the room, and Master Fu could see in his expression that he concluded the obvious: That Nooro told them everything already. The ex-agent sighed and, looking very tired, sat down back into his spot on the cushioned floor. His tea was long cold, but he sipped on it anyways before speaking.

''I did'' His voice was raspy and he still had snow on his hair. ''I learned… quite a bit, but it was hard to process so I had to be alone, sorry''

''No need to apologize, from what Nooro told us, you got basically attacked with emotional information from your new powers, that correct?'' Asked Fu.

''Yeah, that's exactly what happened… I could look back into my memories, old or new, and what the people I was with were feeling was clear to me... So many things…'' He trailed off, lost in thought, but after a few minutes got a hold of himself again and continued. ''The most important thing for you to know, is that T. is alive. And I was completely mistaken with his intentions, even after clearly hearing them from his mouth at the Saint-Malo fight''

''I didn't even bother to think about it until now, but my ex-partner… He doesn't really hate his father, our boss, like I thought. He wants to prevent him from getting any miraculous, but its out of fear, not hatred… I think Mister M. did something to his own son, or maybe someone else, not sure about that, and T. has been hiding his intentions from him I guess, or he wouldn't be sent on the quest to get the jewels…'' Antoine said, sounding as confused by his own memories as the rest were.

''Wait, how do you know he's alive? Your partner, I mean'' Asked Luka.

''I felt it, as Adrien and I were buried under the building, so was T. and he was still conscious when we were there… I could feel his frustration. Besides, he was transformed when it happened…'' Said the butterfly wielder.

''I don't mean any offence here, young man, but why should we care about what your partner wanted?'' Said Master Fu, closing his eyes as he did. He knew what kind of reaction that type of question would get usually, but Ladybug's team had enough on their plate without having to concern with someone that might or might not still be alive.

''Because he wanted Chat Noirs powers more than anything, so he could destroy all miraculouses, we can't afford to ignore him and keep just.. reacting to things''

Ah, in that he was absolutely right, thought the old guardian, also sipping his cold tea.

Marinette wouldn't say she missed Tikki's alarm clock, but she had to admit she kind of needed it. True, she had no more classes for now, which was the one thing she was grateful for even if SHE was partly the cause of it; But she still needed to keep something close to a routine, or she would end up being late to her evening meetings with Tina next.

''What time is it?'' She asked, rubbing her eyes with one hand while the other helped her rise up from the bed.

''Oh Marinette! Didn't want to wake you up after Adrien took all that effort to keep you sleeping'' Marinette blushed, hearing the giggle in the kwamis voice even before spotting her floating close, tiny hands covering her mouth.

''My gosh…'' She said, but then started giggling too.

Nothing special really happened last night, she was drawing until obscene hours and Adrien wanted to keep her company, she knew that, but she still marveled at the memory of them cuddling in her bed. She also found it histerically funny to think what her reaction would have been had she not matured from the Marinette of a couple years ago. She probably woudl have fainted, how boring.

This Marinette, instead, wanted nothing more than breakfast. And Maybe a good morning kiss. And although Tikki didn't answer her question, she now knew, looking at her phone, that it wasn't a terrible time for it. Yay.

She covered herself with a hoodie she used mostly to stay at home, then headed downstairs where the smell of fresh bread and fried eggs filled her with an absurd amount of joy.

''Sweetie! Just in time!'' Her mother called her, as she was sitting next to her father. Judging by the state of the table, Breakfast was had already by them, but they were enjoying each other companies before taking everything out.

Marinette sat down and was a bit too busy feeling grateful for the remaining of eggs still on the table to notice right away that something was missing.

''Where iff Affrien?'' She asked, mouth full of food. once her brain started working again.

''Oh, he went for a morning stroll, said he needed it badly now that he can walk without issues'' Said Sabine ''Don't worry, the storm is gone for now and although everything is covered in snow, it's a very pretty day out there''

''Huh'' She simply said, deciding not to worry too much about it. Sure, it was still cold as a north pole out there probably, but Adrien had Plagg. He would be fine.

''And… any news?'' She asked, mentally hitting herself for doing it. She had just decided not to worry! and then her mouth goes and asks for trouble.

''No...That woman is still missing and nothing has changed'' Said Tom this time, doing his best to sound cheerful.

At least that meant no more hurt people, thought the heroin.

They talked a bit more about nonsense but were quickly interrupted by the bell of the bakery. Which was weird, since they were closed.

''Must be Adrien'' Murmured her mother as she got up to answer. Marinette followed.

Sabine opened the door while Marinette looked from behind her, a strange feeling forming in her gut.

''Adrien! Are you done with your walk or you want breakfast 2.0?'' Asked her mother in the playful tone she usually reserved for her family and her daughters boyfriend.

The boy was wearing his typical white hoodie and jeans, and his smile widened at the offer of food. To anyone else, this was Adrien Agreste, but Marinette swore she wouldn't be fooled by this person again a long time ago.

''Cut the crap, Felix'' She said, harshly.

Sabine looked stunned for a moment, then joined Marinette with the frowns. Felix, quickly replacing his surprise with a smile again, raised his hands in a placating manner.

''Sorry sorry'' His tone was cheerful, still too close to Adrien's than his own for Marinette's comfort ''Couldn't help myself, but I come in peace, I promise''

''Sure you do'' Said a voice from behind the boy.

Adrien looked angry, and also sweaty, as he hovered over his cousins figure in the door. A cold wind entering the otherwise cosy bakery reminded everyone of the cold outside.

''Why don't you kids talk in the living room instead of freezing my baked goods?'' Asked Sabine, and although she was smiling again, Marinette knew her mother well enough to know she was pissed. And with good reason, Felix did fool her and had the red heroine not been there who knows what would have happened.

Marinette sat down next to her boyfriend, who was freezing to be honest, but she didn't care. Opposite to them was a near exact copy of him, wearing almost the same clothes, too.

''Why are you imitating me?'' Asked Adrien, straight to the point.

''Oh this?'' Felix pointed at his clothes before taking the hood down, revealing full blond hair instead of half blond, like Adrien's was, making the illusion disappear. ''Just a little prank, nothing more. For the old times''

''Sure…'' Said Adrien, still glaring.

''Alright, sorry, I went out of my way to look like you do and chose THE morning you decided to go out for a walk to appear in your hideout, but I'd say it was worth it, right Ladybug?''


	21. Different kinds of fear

''Can you two relax, please? I said already I'm not here to cause trouble''

Marinette and Adrien were both staring at Felix with a mix of ''fight mode'' superhero glare and nervousness. Right after his little revelation, they shut the doors of the living room (For what purpose? Who knows, they just wanted privacy) and made it sure it was clear for the non-Agreste blond that he was not getting out until he explained himself.

''You didn't have a good start, buddy'' Commented Plagg, hovering over Felix, making it the third glare directed at his persona.

The only one in the room that didn't seem to have a vendetta over the boy was Tikki, but it was mostly because she was too busy staring at Marinette with something that looked like worry, sprinkled with another emotion Felix couldn't exactly place.

''Let's start again, shall we?'' He proposed, still not succeeding in making his cousin and his girlfriend at least uncross their arms. ''Hello dear cousin, it's been a while, almost two years, actually, how have you been?''

He then offered his hand to Adrien, who looked at it like he was offering a knife instead.

''Oh come on!'' He knew this was coming, specially with his little experiment from before, but those two were really intent on not offering any olive branch. Also the black cat hovering over him was starting to make him nervous. ''I'm not an enemy! If anything I should be complaining here, because of your little reveal from last year my life got a whole lot more complicated!''

That seemed to wake at least Adrien up, he shifted from the glare a to a guilty stare at the floor.

''Oh…'' He said in a whisper, still not looking at him. ''I didn't even think of that…'' Then worry replaced everything else in his face and he approached him, hands on Felix's shoulders. ''You didn't get attacked, did you!?''

''Nope, unless you count fangirls into that category, then all I got was unwanted attention that was quickly replaced by disappointed once they realized I'm not you… It got old pretty quickly'' He said, trying not to sound as annoyed as he was when he was still mad about it. He was over it now, or so he thought. For some reason Adrien's guilty face annoyed him. ''I didn't come here for that''

''How do you know-'' Marinette interrupted him, stopped, shared a glance with her kwami then continued. ''Who I am?''

''Ahh, that'' He smiled one of his wickest, but stopped himself as he remembered he really wasn't there to pick a fight. ''Like I said, I just did a little experiment to confirm my suspicions''

''You shouldn't even have suspicions to begin with!'' Exclaimed the girl. ''There is a glamour that protects our identities!''

''That's a good point'' Said the red kwami, who looked more curious than anything else.

''I don't know anything about a glamour, but I just connected obvious dots. I'm surprised no one else has, considering you two even live together'' Said Felix, making a gesture pointing at the living area surrounding them. ''Anyways, all I had to do to clear the fog was pretend to be Adrien, knowing that the only person able to tell us apart last time was Ladybug…''

''Your irises have 5.6% more blue than Adrien's, your nose's bridge is angled 0.7% more outwards , and Adrien gets a barely visible dimple on his cheeks when he smiles now, you don't'' Marinette blurted out, met with a room full of silence.

She realized how absurd her knowledge on her boyfriends anatomy was because her face quickly turned tomato-red, then she darted a look at Adrien, who was just gaping.

''I have dimples?'' He asked, then both kwamis and Felix started laughing.

''Marinette where did you even get those numbers from!'' Exclaimed the red Kwami, and honestly if she didn't know, that secret was probably going to die with the heroine, judging by her face, thought Felix.

''Ok, so you pretended to be me to confirm your suspicions, now what? What are you going to do with that knowledge'' Adrien's voice started sounding very threatening by the end of his sentence, and his eyes glowing slightly didn't help. Felix gulped.

''Nothing''

''Nothing?'' Asked both heroes at the same time, unbelieving.

''Yep. I just wanted to know'' He shrugged. ''What? you want me to go out and blurt it to the world? Then what? I'm not some villain, you know''

Marinette was staring at him, eyebrows raised and unimpressed, saying with just her face what she thought: You acted like a villain last time, you don't have my trust. Adrien, on the other hand, was just frowning.

''Alright, let's say we believe you, that's all you came here for, then?'' His cousin didn't sound as menacing as before anymore. ''You took a three hour train trip to Paris, on one of the worst winters of... well ever, just to satisfy your curiosity?. I don't believe THAT''

''In that you are right, I didn't come here just to tell you two that I know your secrets for absolute no reason'' He smiled. ''I came here because I'm moving to Paris soon, to an apartment, and I know my cousin is kind of homeless-''

''He's not homeless'' Interrupted Marinette, annoyed.

''Ok, but he could use a space that he calls his own, you know. And thats exactly what I'm offering''

''You're moving to Paris? But you're not even out of school yet, are you?'' Asked Marinette, still suspicion. What did it take to gain this girls trust?

''He's homeschooled, just like I was before meeting you, My lady'' Explained Adrien. ''What I don't get is why now, when it's not exactly safe to be around me''

''It's not safe to BE me either, you dumbass'' Felix let it show how he really felt about the whole thing for the first time. ''You yourself asked me if nothing happened to me. Well, nothing too bad, and not yet!, but people still think I'm you, and you're not just a stupidly famous model that I can prove I'm not with a mean comment. You're a freaking superhero, vigilante, whatever, that dangerous people are interested in!''

''And you waited a whole year to finally be afraid?'' Asked the girl coldly.

''No, I waited until I knew where my cousin was to come tell him that he didn't just mess up his own life!'' Felix didn't remember the last time he actually screamed at someone like this, but he didn't care now. He was already in.

The ex-model sported that annoying guilty look again, making Felix sigh. He didn't come here to make him feel bad, not really. He just wanted them to help each other, for once.

''Look, we are family, and once you are done dealing with the new baddies, you're gonna have to re-start your life, won't you?'' Adrien stopped looking at the floor and shared his gaze, surprised. ''I'm just proposing that you come live with me so you let your girlfriend and her parents breathe, get some of that precious freedom you love so much back and, in the case someone attacks me because I can't help but look like you, and now people know you have reasons to hide and change your appearance slightly so they pay more attention, you will be there...ok?''

Felix was not stupid. He knew good plans worked for him most of the time. But this didn't depend on a good proposal, or logic, not really. It depended on how those two idiots felt. And if showing his true colors, his fears and his honest face didn't work, then nothing would.

''Ok'' Said Adrien, still looking at his eyes.

''Adrien? you don't need to leave! what he said is not true, I don't need to 'breathe' away from you and neither do my parents!'' Marinette was grabbing his arm, as if she would never see him again, which was stupid, in Felix's opinion, but she might be emotional with good reason: He just came in all of a sudden to change the vision she probably had for the future.

''I know, Mari'' He smiled down at her, then grabbed her hands. ''But what he said makes sense. At least for the future, when we are done dealing with our current problems''

''Yeah, I'm not moving in right away anyways, for some reason the weather is even worse in here, so I'll wait at least until winter is over'' Said Felix, trying to sound full of himself as always, but not being able to stop his mouth from smiling slightly. ''I need to choose a place, however''

At that, Adrien smiled too, understanding immediately. ''Tomorrow?''

''Eh, my train leaves tonight'' That was not a lie.

''Oh, later today, then, it's not like I have much to do anyways…'' He looked down at his girlfriend, who stopped sulking already.

''We do have a meeting at 8'' Said Marinette, still holding his cousins hands. ''But we pretty much have the rest of the day open before that, so…''

Felix barely stopped himself from making a comment on the line of 'Why do you need your girlfriends permission, eh, house cat?', realizing he wasn't just in front of his cousin and girl, but Paris's superheroes. The very same ones that he just asked for help. He could self sabotage later, just not with this, specially because of what he still had to tell them.

''I also have something else to say''

They both looked at Felix with a 'well, go on' look, so he sighed and continued.

''There was a man following me here'' He tried to not sound as nervous as he was, but failed. ''And I don't think he was a Chat Noir fan''

...

Chloe never thought this shit would happen to her AGAIN, but here she was, in her room at the hotel, alone with the woman who left a whole family in vegetative state with no cure in sight. The mother of a girl that died on her childhood friend's hands, a villain who just revealed her name to her.

''Lady.. vendetta…'' She exhaled, barely containing the fear she felt at being surrounded by the red smoke coming out of the woman's eye. ''Y-you know, thats a lawsuit waiting to happen-'' Her attempt at winning time by running her mouth got shot down immediately when the silent villain offered her her hand. A box Chloe recognized all too well was in there.

Chloe, in her mind, was terrified, so much that she couldn't even move for fear of touching the red smoke that surrounded her or to provoke the woman into putting her down. But her body was stupid, and so her face raised an eyebrow as a reaction to the irony of this situation. She knew what the woman wanted even before she spoke.

''This is yours, I believe?'' She said, and when she spoke more smoke came out from her mouth. That seemed to be her main power, thought the blonde, trying to at least mentally take notes in case she survived this. The smoke didn't seem to do much until it touched something, object or person. Chloe jumped at the sudden sound of her wardrobe losing a door and she couldn't help but turn her head to take a look.

The smoke had touched it and then half of the wooden furniture was broken, all of her clothes were no the floor of her room. It didn't exactly destroy it, like Adrikins power would have done… What was it, then?

''Don't get distracted, girl. You know what I'm offering, do you take your precious powers back, or…?''

The woman's voice forced Chloe to stop taking mental notes and, when the rich girl realized she didn't really have much of a choice, she frowned and spoke again through her fear.

''If you can't tell my answer by my face you are even more stupid than your daughter, she tried the sam-'' She got interrupted yet again, but this time by a scream.

Lady Vendetta let out a banshee like screech, and the red smoke multiplied, filling the room and breaking everything in it except for Chloe. Her fury didn't last long, however, and when she controlled herself she smiled, then closed her fingers around the box. All of the red substance (Chloe, looking at it closer now, wasn't even sure it was smoke anymore) that floated around stopped its seemingly random pattern of movement and got absorbed by the box, which turned red and then opened, revealing a bee themed hairpin.

''N-no'' Was all Chloe could say in a tiny whisper as she watched Pollen come out to the world once again, only to cry in pain and fall to the floor.

The villain then dropped the box and the hairpin next to the unconscious kwami, and with a smile yet again decorating her face she said:

''I have a message for your little friends'' Chloe looked up at the woman as she turned to the window she entered from. ''This pain you feel? the horrible loss of a friend, the frustration at losing yet again''

''I'll do it to each one of you, it's personal''

When the woman left, there wasn't a single thing in Chloe's room that wasn't broken. Chloe was never touched by the red smoke, but she didn't need to be, she thought, as she cradled the little yellow kwami with her hands while she cried.

...

When Adrien and Felix left to have lunch together, Marinette was half relieved half stressed out of her mind. She started pacing around her room, while at the same time she gathered the stuff she needed to go to her apprenticeship with Tina. Which was in thirty minutes, not nearly enough time to sort her head out.

''You can call her and tell her that you don't feel good to go today'' Offered Tikki, while she barely lifted her pencil case and dropped it on her bag. ''She did tell you that since schools closed, she had no right to make you go''

''But I WANT to go! that was my answer to her and besides, today's pretty decent outside! I need to go'' Her feet kept moving as the gears on her head did.

''Ok then… save what just happened for later, and tell Adrien how you really feel about him leaving'' Suggested the kwami, and the girl stopped on her tracks.

''You think thats what has me so stressed out?''

''It's… not?'' The skepticism in the tiny god's voice was palpable.

''I mean… I would be lying if I said I don't want to talk about this more with Adrien, but we have time… not Tikki, I'm acting like crazy now because I just realized something!... I think'' She said, grabbing the scattered drawings the did last night from her desk. she picked her favorite, one of the last ones she designed, and stared at it while she spoke again. ''I think I need to tell the world who Ladybug is''

''What part of today's conversation made you reach that conclusion?!'' Exclaimed the kwami, floating in between the drawing and Marinette's eyes. ''Mari, just because Felix knows doesn't mean-''

''I didn't get… scared, or had a mild panic attack like I did when thinking about revealing myself before, when Felix told us that he knew. It was the total opposite… It's like a weight lifted off my shoulders and… I don't know what it is Tikki, but I have the strong feeling that I need to reveal myself for balance to be fixed!''

The kwami and the girl stood quietly, staring at each other. To marinette's surprise, Tikki did a full 180 on his demeanor and smiled.

''You figured it out'' She said, suddenly sounding like the goddess she was and not just a cute tiny plushie. ''Thought I don't know if it was for the right reasons.. doesn't matter''

''Hold on a second, you knew?! I'm right?!''

''Not… exactly. I mean yes, you are probably right, but.. ahh this is better for a guardian to explain! Marinette, only Ladybug and Chat Noir know in their hearts what is breaking balance between them'' Tikki smiled as she grabbed one of Marinette's scattered drawings. ''I'm pretty sure Master Fu told you something similar before''

Marinette nodded, remembering one of her multiple sessions with the two guardians, when she noticed her lucky charm failing her. Before she stopped them because everything seemed pointless without her cat by her side. Even then she knew, this problem was hers to solve, not Chat's. He didn't have any issues with his cataclysm, even though his life was a mess. She was the one that was too blindsighted by her own fear to realize what she did now:

''Ever since the gala, Adrien was outed and his… role as a hero changed. He was no longer hiding, but I was. I still am.'' She frowned. ''Does this happen often? I can't imagine Ladybugs and Chat Noirs of the past having similar lives all the time, right?''

''It's not about that… I think. It's about how you perceive things. It's you that feel unbalanced with your partner, Marinette'' Said Tikki.

''But why not give me a clue?'' Marinette wanted the kwami to stop preparing her bag and look at her properly while talking, but the tiny goddess was avoiding her gaze, as if ashamed. ''Why keep me in the dark?''

''I didn't exactly know what it was that you needed to learn, Marinette, though I had a pretty good guess...but, it's not just that'' This time, The kwami looked at her. ''I can't tell you the answer, Marinette. Even if people are in danger because of it, there is a limit on how much I can teach you about being Ladybug. Both because this changes with every generation, and because that's how learning works''

The heroine felt the knots on her brain untying, but there were still so many in there that thinking was still hard. But she understood what Tikki was saying. It was the same as before, when she was younger. Tikki would give her advice, but never tell her WHY she needed to do this or that. She learnt her lessons the hard way and the only way. Marinette wasn't sure how she felt about her kwami thinking this was the same as her learning to be compassionate or to not lie and steal phones… there were lives in the line now. But it made sense. This was only going to get harder, wasn't it?

''Thank you, Tikki… I see now that this must be hard for you too'' Marinette now understood why the kwami refused to look at her just now, or why she seemed frustrated at times. ''I was so afraid of this being the answer that I probably wouldn't have even considered if you told me earlier anyways''

The kwami exhaled a long one, as if she was holding her breath, then smiled back at the girl. ''Thank you, you're the best Ladybug'' Tikki kissed her cheek. ''And I don't mean that lightly''

Marinette decided to toss that along with the rest of her unsolved feelings on a guarded drawer in her mind for now. She had a famous designer to impress today, and she was starting to think it wouldn't just be with her drawings.

After all, she had to start somewhere.


	22. Food on the house

It was unsurprisingly hard to find an open restaurant or anything, really, to grab a meal, even though it was lunch time; But Adrien and Felix were determined, and their stubbornness only grew alongside their hunger as they walked the streets of Paris. They finally found a place at the Chinese neighborhood, and both of them decided to have a hot soup after Adrien failed to trick Felix into getting something he knew his cousin wouldn't like out of the non-translated menu, and the boy just copied his choice.

''Now I know why you never complained about your chinese lessons, out of all the shit Gabriel had you doing'' Commented Felix as they waited for their meals.

''I'm not THAT big of a glutton, you idiot, besides you don't really need to know to come-'' Said Adrien playfully, but stopped once he noticed that Felix just raised an eyebrow and smiled at him. ''Oh… you mean Marinette…''

''Duh''

''She doesn't speak Chinese though, and I didn't know it was her for the longest time'' Adrien said, avoiding his cousins gaze because he was still quite ashamed of never noticing that both girls he treasured the most were one and the same. ''I liked Chinese because it's interesting, useful and I got to talk to Master Fu, he's huh, like our trainer-''

''Wait wait wait wait, hold up'' Felix raised a finger in front of Adrien's mouth, shutting him up. ''You didn't know your girlfriend and your girlfriend were the same person? HA!'' The boy then proceeded to laugh and Adrien just rolled his eyes and thanked the man that appeared with their food seconds later.

''It's not that funny'' Said the ex-model after a couple slurps on his soup, Felix still hadn't touched his because of his laughing fit.

''You are seriously so stupid, dear cousin''

''Yeah yeah, it's old news now, you know… besides, SHE had a huge crush on my civilian self to the point of knowing almost every detail about my life, which, if we are being fair, has never been very private, and yet she still didn't know I was her partner all along either!'' Adrien tried to explain his embarrassment away, for some reason it affected him even more now that he just witnessed Felix figuring it out with a couple of clues.

''Nope, no amount of magic bullshit explains that lever of blindness''

''I have to agree with you on that one'' Joined a third voice, floating over the table all of a sudden to inspect the contents. ''No cheese? seriously?''

''We will go to the fromagerie after Plagg'' Said Adrien. ''And go back to the bag, we talked about this''

Felix started to wonder for a second what was so wrong about the little cat being out in the open when everyone and their mother knew that Adrien was Chat Noir, but then he looked around and saw why. All the other clients were opening staring at them now, and Felix would be lying to himself if he didn't recognize the familiar look most of them had in their faces, specially the adults: Worry. He also didn't have to think long to figure out why. Trouble followed the cat everywhere, there was a villain loose right now, and he also was kind of the symbol for bad luck. Plagg being there as the supernatural reminder of those facts did not help at all, specially if they didn't want to get kicked from the restaurant.

''Anyways'' Said Adrien, taking Felix out of his head. Plagg was nowhere to be seen again. ''Care to tell me about the men following you now?''

There was a pause provoked by Adrien's phone receiving a message that made the boy smile, which made Felix roll his eyes. Had to be Ladybug, of course.

''You don't sound surprised about it'' Felix remarked. ''And Ladybug wasn't either… So I assume they follow you too?''

Adrien nodded, seriousness back on his face. ''And it's not your typical stalker either, sorry'' The ex-model finished his soup completely before continuing. Felix was barely halfway with his, and he wasn't exactly slow. ''The public doesn't know this, but we have two enemies right now, not one''

Then Adrien explained the whole thing with the mysterious mister M. to Felix, and the frown on the meaner boy grew with every new bit of information.

''Don't worry, I've been thinking about your proposal and it makes a lot of sense, I'll keep you safe'' Adrien winked at him, and Felix felt the tic on his eye as the cringe became too much.

''It's not just that, idiot!'' Felix realized his volume got a bit too high for the place they were in, because the stares came back and someone shh's them, so he lowered his voice again. ''Have you ever thought about asking for help?''

''We have''

''I mean real help, you know, adults with jobs that take care of things like that man's shady business, like, oh, i don't know, the freaking police?''

''They're not in France''

''Not the point! don't be obtuse!'' Said Felix, and then put both hands on his mouth as Adrien pointed with his eyes that he was being loud again. ''You know what I mean''

Adrien sighed. ''I do… but one, we don't want to get more people involved, and two, we are freaking superheroes Felix. Things like these are in the job description, besides I honestly can't think of any organism I'd trust with our secrets''

''Why do you have to tell anyone your 'secrets'?'' Felix mocked that last word with his tone and added the quote marks with his fingers. Superheroes were so dramatic, jeez.

''Because that's the only thing we can give in return for the help in the first place… Our own government is asking for them in order to let us keep our freedom. Everyone wants a piece, Felix, that's the freaking problem!''

''Sirs, I hope you enjoyed the meal but you need to leave'' Said a chinese woman with a bit of an accent. Both blond boys recoiled at the same time, Adrien wanting to hide his head in the sand like an ostrich and Felix blushing against his will.

''Sorry, ma'am…'' Adrien apologized.

''It was delicious'' Pointed Felix, who started to take out his wallet to pay for both meals but got stopped by the woman's hand on his.

''No'' She simply said, smiling this time. ''For your service'' She was looking at Adrien now, who smiled back at her.

''Thank you''

''But leave, please''

Felix contained his laughter until they were outside in the snow again, but even his mocking didn't stop Adrien from smiling openly.

''But leave, please'' He imitated the lady, making Adrien snort as they walked.

''It's not that funny''

''I've never been kicked out of a restaurant before!, and how come she knew it was you and not me? If anything I look more like Chat Noir than you now, mister dyed hair!'' Felix complained in the typical voice of someone that wasn't really serious about it.

''Because I don't look like a jerk'' Smiled the hero.

Marinette hadn't felt nervous like that in a long time. The kind of sensation she gets when her whole body is anticipating a good thing instead of a bad one. She wouldn't say she exactly liked it, but it was a good sign that what she was about to do, and the steps that followed, was the correct choice. There was also the type of nervousness she always got when she was about to show her creations to someone whose opinion really mattered to her, but compared to the other thing it was minor, which said a lot. It was almost a relief, having her drawings as a backup topic for when it inevitably got awkward. Because that was the worst thing that could happen, right?

Marinette shook her head violently, almost missing a step on her walk towards Tina's studio. She heard Tikki's giggle from inside her bag, and couldn't help but smile despite everything. Or maybe because everything. She was finally going to fix things, and the choice felt amazing. The consequences of it still heavy as fear usually was, didn't stop her from moving towards the future, and then calling the studio's bell as soon as she was in front of it. No time to hesitate.

''Mari! come in come in!'' Said Louie's voice, chipper, from the intercom at the door.

The girl suddenly realized Tina wasn't gonna be the only one she was about to surprise with the city's biggest intrigue, as her assistant was with them pretty much all the time. He was basically the woman's next set of arms, and she surely needed them.

She shook her head for the second time, forcing herself to stop wavering at every little bump on the road to balance. She had already decided that she would tell the world, two people at once was still a small step before that. Even if she mentally prepared herself that whole hour walk just for one.

''Oh well'' She whispered to herself, stepping in the studio.

She was greeted with the typical scene at the place, though she wasn't sure she had the right to state that, considering she had only been there a couple times now. Tina smiled at her from her table, and before any words were exchanged she signaled for her to get closer to see what was on it.

They spent the next ten minutes involved in a discussion about which texture was better for a dress Tina was working on, Ladybug themed to no one's surprise. and so Marinette was having trouble finding a window to bring the topic up.

''You seem to have something in that head of yours you want to tell me, but you haven't yet. Out with it, girl'' Said Tina after a long pause, that was supposed to be dedicated to the three of them closing their eyes and feeling the texture of both fabrics. Tina standed out from the crowd of designers Marinette knew about because of her light personality, but she was just like the others in the eccentricity, or so the heroine assumed anyways.

''I like this one'' She said, lifting one of the two options, mentally kicking herself. Tina raised an eyebrow. ''Alright sorry, I do have something to tell you''

''Louie, bring us tea please'' Ordered Tina.

''Oh, no he can stay'' Said Marinette in a little voice, remembering that she was going to have to tell the whole world sooner rather than later anyways.

''Alright'' Said the woman, and Louie shrugged and joined them at the table while Marinette searched her bag for her designs.

She laid them down on the table for the two artists to look at, and then there was a good five minutes of pure silence as they shuffled between drawings without a word. Five minutes doesn't sound like much, but when people scrutinized your work without you being able to read minds as they do it, any second is too long.

''I really like where you are going with this'' Said Tina lifting one in particular, and to Marinette's relief it was the same one she would have picked out of the pile.

''You have not taste, this is great!'' Said Louie, pointing at the mecha Ladybug one. Marinette wanted to giggle as she remembered Adrien joking (Or maybe he was serious, who knew) about that same one, but her nerves got in the way. She wasn't done yet.

''You really got into this assignment, huh? and all of these look so...her, I bet Ladybug would love to wear them, even that one'' Said Tina, pointing at the joke design with her finger.

''It's not hard to think like Ladybug… well, not for me'' Marinette started that sentence with energy, but it quickly drained along with the volume of her voice as she finished. The last word was barely a whisper, but apparently it was enough. The room was silent once again.

Tina and Louie were just staring at her, and Marinette didn't know what to do. Forget the silent judging of her drawings, this was even worse!

''Is she saying what I think she is?'' Asked the assistant trying to make his tone playful but kind of failing.

''I think she is…'' Whispered Tina, awe filling her whisper. ''Marinette? Look at me dear, and lets make this less awkward. You're Ladybug?'' The heroine did as the woman asked, and as she forced herself to breathe again, that same determination she felt on battles filled her entire body, making itself known in her expression.

''Oh my god you are!'' She didn't even get to speak, apparently her face being the only confirmation the woman needed, and then Marinette was being embraced by a bear hug that almost competed with her fathers.

''Tina! you're gonna kill her!'' Said Louie jokingly as the older woman lifted Marinette from the floor and spun around with her.

The designer finally let Marinette go and placed her on the floor once again. She wasn't even that much taller than the girl, even with her heels, how was she so strong?!

''This is the best day of my life!'' Announced the woman, but before she started to fangirl once again she stopped herself and asked: ''But why tell us this all of a sudden? Isn't your identity like, the most guarded secret on this city?''

Marinette smiled, both because of the woman's reaction and the lightedness on her heart after letting go of said secret voluntarily for the first time. No imminent danger coaxing her, no emergency reveal, no people figuring her out. Just her and her will.

''Let's just say you two are a bit of an experiment I had to make''

''Like a test? did we pass!?'' Asked Tina, enthusiasm on again.

''A test for me'' She said, her smile widening as she realized SHE passed.

''I feel so honored I want to cry. Why is Ladybug in my studio Louie?!'' The woman exclaimed and her assistant just shrugged, smiling wide too.

''I bet she asked herself the same when you entered the bakery, Tina''

''Yep!'' Said Tikki, suddenly coming out of the bag. Literally.

The screaming and questioning and sheer energy that happened after that was so much Marinette wouldn't have believed it came mostly from one person (Tina) if she hadn't been there. She answered all her questions easily, mostly because the woman never asked anything sensible. What does Tikki eat? What's the fabric of your suit made of? Is Chat Noir ok? Who sleeps more, Chat Noir or his kwami? Do you know if Gabriel Agreste was the one deciding the designs on his monsters, or was it random? Oh my god! you helped with the Gala dresses! (That was not a question) Can you shape the earrings however you like?! and so on. As expected, most of it was fashion related.

Once they were done with that, an hour was almost gone and they (Tina, really) had calmed down. The designer ordered Louie to bring cookies and tea, the first mostly for Tikki and the second for her to have a good reason to finally shut up a little and let Marinette speak freely. The girl used that chance to tell her a bit more, now that she was free to do so, and found it even better than when she got the first weight out of her mind. The best part was telling her about her romance story with Chat Noir, aka Adrien Agreste.

''Giiirl, you were in the fashion world from the start! You don't even need me! No way out! Dating a model and everything'' The woman giggled even as Marinette fumbled her explanation about how she wasn't into Adrien because of that, even at the beginning. It was almost like talking to an older version of Alya, and the 'older' part was only in appearances really, because this woman turned out to be just as into gossip as her best friend was.

''Besides, he's not a model anymore, and I don't think he can even go back to that if he wanted'' Said Marinette, sadness making its way into her voice despite her efforts to avoid it showing. There was a second of silence, so Marinette looked up from her cup of tea to see Tina with her eyes wide open and a hand on her mouth.

''OH MY GOD'' She exclaimed, standing up and brusquely leaving her cup on the table. Louie intervened just in time to save the precious fabrics from a spill. ''I NEED CHAT NOIR TO MODEL FOR ME''

Both Louie and Marinette stared at the woman as she grabbed Marinette's shoulders, her enthusiasm back again full on. The bell of the studio rang and Louie shrugged at the scene unfolding, deciding to ignore it and go attend the door.

''He's perfect! I don't care about anything, that boy is modeling for me once the danger is over! If I become the only one that wants him even better!'' The next Marinette heard was a wave of pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease coming from the woman, and she just snorted once she was let go once Tina decided that kneeling was more productive.

''I'm not the one that you need to convince, Tina … please get up'' Said Marinette, suffering from secondhand embarrassment now. She wondered if Tina was doing all of this just to make her feel better, or if this was the way the woman got so high on her career. She briefly pictured a younger Tina begging on the floor in front of whoever helped her climb and giggled.

''But I need him, I just can't believe my luck I need this! I've been obsessed with those designs Agreste did last year and now here you are! someone that knows the perfect model for all my ideas!'' If Marinette didn't feel so stupidly connected to the woman's train of thought like she did, she would have been annoyed or something… probably. She didn't know, she related to the 'pain' of suddenly learning how close she was to Adrien. Pure bliss.

''I'm starting to think you picked me just because I was his classmate'' Teased Marinette.

''What!'' Tina kissed her fingers and lifted her hand. ''I swear I had no idea of anything before today!''

''If anything, it was my idea to go to your bakery to satiate this woman'' Said Louie once he was back, his voice a strangled attempt at not laughing. He was followed by two blond boys.

''Your mentor is even weirder than you, My lady'' Commented Adrien, while Felix by his side had the same problem Louie had once he saw a grown ass woman kneeling on the floor in front of a very red Marinette.

Said woman had a minor collapse after that.

Adrien got very happy when he received Marinette's brief but powerful text as he was having lunch with Felix. His lady deciding to finally reveal herself to the world, starting with her mentor to test the waters, was good news to him. Not because he wanted her to be like him, or because he was completely sure it was a good idea. He was happy because he knew, deep down, after so many conversations with her, that THAT was the key to her finally relaxing a little, even with all the problems they had. He never felt like it was his place to tell her what to do, that was her role in their dynamic, so when his Lady finally reached a conclusion he celebrated. She was never wrong once something clicked for her after so much turmoil.

''So, change of plans?'' Asked Felix after he explained to him his idea.

''Just slightly, we get her from her apprenticeship and we go all three apartment hunting. I want to be with her''

''You liar, you just want to be able to rescue her if things get ugly'' There was a bit of truth to that, Adrien was Marinette's partner after all. Once she decided on something, he should always be there to assist. The ex-model just laughed the comment off, though.

He wasn't sure it was the correct address, and doubted his memory even more after a man answered the door, but he seemed to recognize him and, instead of cowering like the people on the restaurant, let them both in without even asking what they wanted. So Adrien supposed Marinette's confession had already taken place. Or he found the other kind of fans in the worst moment possible.

The scene inside was hardly what he imagined Marinette would be doing on her prestigious apprenticeship with Tina Masoni, the famous designer that was on the way of replacing his father once she got settled on Paris. Judging by the screams and the conversation he heard even before he entered the room, he was about to really make an impression on someone that already had one to begin with. Might as well have some fun with it.

''Your mentor is even weirder than you, My lady'' He said, and he enjoyed seeing a mature, famous and so well dressed woman slowly turn her head to see the two boys and crumble in front of him with pure excitement.

''A-'' Was all she said, then she looked at Marinette as if asking 'CAN I?' and the girls only reaction was to raise an eyebrow and giggle, which the designer took as a 'YES', because the next thing she did was go after Felix's cheeks.

''I'm so blessed!'' She screamed while she hovered over the wrong boy, or so Adrien assumed with the little information he had. He decided to stay quiet while enjoying Felix's annoyed complaints. Marinette kissed him in the cheek without saying a word, and the warm smile she had was all he needed to know.

''Why are you here?'' She asked playfully.

''I decided I want your opinion on the place Felix and I will be renting'' He said, and paid careful attention to her reaction to the news. He hadn't told either of them how certain he was on the idea, but that pretty much confirmed it. He had never been one to muster on things for long.

''I'll just have to make sure to enjoy your company extra hard then'' She said, just as carefully.

''I'm offended, my lady, that you think I'll leave you alone with your precious privacy just because I'll move from your parents house''

''You're just a stray cat that goes wherever the food is better''

''Are you implying that I'm tired of pastries? because you're dead wrong there''

''Now that I think about it, this is better. That way when you get fat, it's not gonna be on me''

''Hey now-'' Their banter got interrupted suddenly by Marinette's phone.

''It's Luka, with a video call no less'' She announced staring at the phone, worry on her features.

And just like that, the spell was broken. Marinette answered the call after getting a nod from Tina, who by the time the girl answered had already realized she was fusing over the wrong blond. Adrien wasn't sure how long the woman knew, but he liked her already just because of how ridiculous Felix looked with his cheeks red.

''What is it Luka?'' Asked Marinette as a greeting, which would have sounded rude had it not been by the worried tone she said it with.

''Hey Mari, have any of you seen Chloe?''


	23. Red 20

''Why do you phrase it like that Luka, you'll worry them!'' Juleka popped into the screen of Marinette's phone. She could feel the others in the room interrupt their conversation to join her video call, and it made her feel extremely self conscious. ''Oh hi'' Said Juleka once she noticed everyone behind the heroine. Marinette shrugged.

''So what happened with Chloe?'' Asked the heroine, and she could see the snake hero trying to appear nonchalant on the screen but somewhat failing.

''She's just late for lunch with my family... and she's not answering her phone'' Luka said, obviously uncomfortable at the multitude on the other side of the screen listening to him.

Oh, thought Marinette…that explained the joint video call with Juleka. Chloe being late to places was not weird at all, everyone on their group had adjusted what 'late' even meant just because of her. But her not being close to her phone? That did warrant some worry.

''Anyways, I just wanted to check on you guys before I went to the hotel myself'' Said Luka, sighing at the end.

''Later guys'' And he just ended the call.

''Well that was… weird'' Commented Marinette out loud. Adrien nodded and Felix was just quietly raising an eyebrow.

''So is Chloe bourgeois a hero as well or…?'' Asked Louie, seemingly confused. Right, everyone knew that Chloe was Queen Bee, but also everyone knew that the Bee heroine has not been seen in years.

''No, she doesn't have her…'' Marinette started, but interrupted herself once she saw the face Tina was making at her. She had the look of someone watching a three legged puppy play. ''Tina?''

The woman snapped at hearing her name, and then smiled sadly. ''Sorry, I was just thinking how young all of you are''

''Huh?''

''It's the first time I stop to think that the heroes of this city are just kids… well teenagers'' She corrected herself once she saw the pout that started to form on Marinette's mouth. ''We all knew about Chloe and you Adrien but… Knowing who Ladybug is pretty much confirms that we are at the hands of kids who haven't even finished school…'' Coming from anyone else Marinette would have thought that Tina was worried about her own safety, but judging by her tone it sounded more like she was worried about HER. Marinette smiled as sweetly as she could.

''We are who we are for a good reason, Tina. Please don't worry about us''

...

Adrien followed Marinette and Felix out of the studio, the cold hitting him in full force once on the face. Even if the day had started somewhat nice it was quickly reminding them again that they had not fixed balance yet. But the boy was not stressed about it, not anymore. They knew all the wrongs now, they just had to solve them. Marinette would reveal herself to the whole world and get her powers back in control, and then they would defeat Gianna Rossi. The last thing was returning the temple in Tibet back to the guardians, which admitelly sounded a bit more of a grown up, laws and stuff, problem, than a superhero one, but they would help however they could.

The conversation inside was a lot more pleasant than Adrien expected, specially after witnessing the famous designer fangirling on the floor when he and Felix first came in. Sure, the woman was a bit crazy, but after the call from Luka and she calmed down, she was a delight. As for the modeling… he still wasn't sure how wise was that as an idea. At least for now. Adrien shrugged as he kept walking, deciding to ponder on these things later along with Plagg. He was lagging a bit behind Marinette and his cousin, who seemed to be talking about the lunch they had earlier.

''And then we got kicked out'' Adrien catched up with them just in time to hear that, and although the admitelly found it still quite funny, specially after seeing his cousin genuinely laugh at something, which was refreshing; He was grateful to see that Marinette only smiled and searched his gaze, a mute question lingering on her eyes.

''You can laugh at it, my Lady. My spirit won't be hurt by a tiny chinese lady kicking me out before dessert'' He assured her, earning a chuckle. It was cute that she was worried about his feelings, considering she was the biggest tease usually.

''Is your dignity not hurt, Felix?'' She asked then, and Adrien snorted.

''Pff, what dignity? He's just happy he didn't have to pay!''

They continued walking towards the bakery and teasing each other while subconsciously moving faster and faster as snow started to fall again and the cold began to really bite them.

...

Luka stood up as soon as he finished his call with Marinette, picked up his jacket and was about to leave when he heard his mother's call from the kitchen.

''Tell her It's an emergency'' He said to Juleka, who had been quiet after he complied in calling their friends before letting his panic flow free, like it was doing now that he knew Chloe wasn't with them.

''Y-yeah.. I'm sure she's fine though… probably taking a milk bath or something'' Jules tried to lighten the mood to no avail, they both knew that, with all that was going on, not answering multiple calls and being late to lunch with your boyfriend and his family was worrisome.

Luka didn't even pretend to find the humor in his sisters joke, though before he left he forced a little smile at her, or he knew she would be feeling bad for hours.

He left his house with only a ''Be right back!'' to his mother and Juleka being there to somewhat explain. As soon as Luka was out of sight from unwanted eyewitnesses, he transformed and leaped to the roofs. Much faster, not to mention warmer, way of traveling.

The moment he arrived at his girlfriend's window he felt his stomach drop to the floor.

Everything in Chloe's usually neat dormitories was destroyed or broken in some way or another. The windows were all barely keeping themselves together through cracks, as if they had popped and broken but something kept them in one piece, at least until Luka touched one. The noise from the falling glass broke some kind of spell in the snake hero, because his body finally started moving reflecting the panic he felt inside.

''Chloe!'' He started calling her, louder than necessary for the rooms.

He looked around trying to make sense of what happened while he called her name uselessly. Many things in the room were turned into mere pieces of what they were before: The couches, the bed, the chests where Chloe usually kept her stuff. He found her phone on the floor in front of her wardrobe, it's screen shattered and black. And then he found a little box, the only object that was turned into a useless pile of materials, and it finally clicked on Luka's head.

Gianna and her red smoke had been there, she left a box where he was certain had belonged to Pollen's miraculous, and Chloe wasn't there.

Rage and guilt and panic filled the young hero like never before, and he leaped out the window. The last bit of logic left in his brain tried to warn him that what he was about to do was very stupid, that he should at least tell the others about it, ask for help, go down the hotel and ask for Chloe. But he knew that she wasn't there, that Adrien was still recuperating and Marinette couldn't use her lucky charm. Alya and Nino didn't even cross his mind while he rushed towards the national assembly, where he knew he would find the men investigating Gianna's location other than his hero team.

...

Marinette and Adrien chuckled quietly as they watched Felix catch his breath for the second time on their trip back to the bakery. Not everyone had the stamina of a superhero, and they had almost started jogging when the snowfall became stronger.

''It's just one more block, you can rest there'' Adrien said in a mocking tone. Marinette was grabbing his arm for warmth.

''You can refuel with anything you want from the bakery'' Added the heroine, trying to sound as condescending as possible. Adrien chuckled.

''Oh you two can go to-''

Felix interrupted his retort as he looked up, and he froze in his hands in knees pose right there as he stared at something behind Marinette and Adrien. The girl frowned, noticing the very wide eyes on the boy.

''What?-'' She said as she turned towards the direction they were going, Adrien doing the same at her side.

In the sky right behind the building that blocked their view from the bakery, mixed with the white snow that fell, was red.

Red smoke.

...

''Mari! MARINETTE!'' Adrien screamed at his girlfriend, and once he noticed she was not gonna stop with just words he leaped at her and tackled her to the ground.

Police and firemen surrounded the bakery, but Adrien managed to stop the girl before any of them saw her. Felix jogged behind and helped get them both back up. Marinette was quiet, staring at the red smoke coming from her home. She was probably in shock, Adrien realized.

''Don't let her do anything, I'll be right back'' He ordered to Felix, who just nodded while he grabbed Marinette's shoulders in support.

Adrien called for his transformation and ran towards the people surrounding the scene.

''Is she still there?'' He asked, startling the policewoman with his sudden appearance.

''Chat Noir!'' She exclaimed. ''She just left the scene, we got orders not to follow but I think the higher ups know where she's headed'' Thankfully the woman knew exactly what he was there for and didn't waste time. He nodded.

''Thank you, did she take anyone with her?'' He asked next. The woman shook her head.

Moments after one of the firemen screamed something along the lines of 'smoke is out!' and the rest of them rushed inside in search for the victims. Chat Noir followed them, ignoring their questions and warnings.

The red smoke had indeed cleared out from the building, but he noticed that it still leaked from some of the broken furniture. He ignored the shattered glass that was supposed to showcase delicious pastries and the foreign smell of mold and rushed to where he knew Marinette's parents would have been, the kitchen. And indeed there they were.

Sabine was on the floor, her eyes wide open and her mouth leaking saliva, though she was breathing. Tom was sitting on his stall where he was probably working with what used to be flour, and now was just mold. The firemen followed in seconds after Chat, not letting him do or think anything before they started working on the two victims. Tom's body collapsed on top of a not-big-enough fireman as soon as he was touched, and the hero decided right then that he was useless for now, so he left.

''Take care of them, please'' He pleaded doing his best to contain the tears as he left the room.

The whole in and out of the bakery Chat did must have taken less than three minutes, but apparently that was time enough for Marinette to wake up from her shock and overpower Felix, because as soon as the cat hero was out of the building she collisioned with him.

''Let me in!'' She demanded, tears finally showing up on her face contorted with pain.

The boy knew that whatever he said she wouldn't listen while she was like that, so he hugged her for a brief moment to calm her down a bit first.

''Is this your house, girl?'' Asked a policeman who had also failed at stopping his girlfriend from approaching the bakery. Felix was right behind him with a sad expression.

Marinette had her face buried in his chest, and Chat knew that she didn't need to see her parents right at that moment. So he took her shoulders and forced her to look at him.

''Let's go, Mari. We'll fix this'' He said, sounding every bit as confident and reassuring as a hero should.

He didn't wait for her to nod or say anything in response and grabbed her like he had done so many times before, like a princess. He didn't care how confused the policeman looked, knowing that identities didn't matter anymore, so without any further explanation he leaped out of the scene; Though he did give Felix a little nudge with his head, telling him to go home, before disappearing.

Chat Noir had one big conclusion in his mind as he jumped through the roofs towards Master Fu's: Gianna's attack on the bakery had not been random. She either knew he had been living there, or someone told her who Ladybug was.


	24. In a haze

Marinette was finally aware of why sometimes when a victim after an Akuma atack wouldn't react to her and Chat's comforting words, or respond basic questions from anyone that wanted to help them. Things like 'are you ok?' and 'Any injuries?' that were usually answered with a 'I'm fine' because her Miraculous cure took care of the physical ailments. Now she knew that her cure didn't work on what happened to your head after something terrible. Because she realized, half an hour later, that she had been in a daze that whole time, that Adrien had tried talking to her at first to no avail, and that by when her brain started working again they had already decided to leave her alone.

And by they, she meant Adrien, Master Fu and… Chloe.

Marinette blinked a couple times, realizing she had been holding a cup of tea that was half on its way to going cold, and that Chloe was talking.

''It's not smoke, not really.. it's heavy and she controls it with her eye. wherever she looked at with her monocle open, the… fog or whatever, would go, and break things'' The blonde's voice sounded dull and sad, and she had a tear trail on both her cheeks. Instead of holding a cup of tea like Marinette was, Chloe was holding a yellow blob that Marinette quickly recognized.

''Pollen'' She whispered, prompting all three heads of her companions to turn to look at her, as if her presence was finally real.

''Mari! Are you ok? Wait of course you're not ok, sorry, but it's gonna be! Chloe here was explaining what she learned about-'' Adrien's word vomit was stopped by Fu's hand raising on front of his face.

''Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I'll ask this just once and will never do it again, no matter your answer'' Said the man, solemnly. Marinette wondered briefly if something else happened because the pain on the elder man's face didn't match with the situation, no matter how painful it was for HER. ''Are you still our Ladybug?''

Before the heroine could even open her mouth to answer, Adrien got up from his spot on the floor and started yelling at the old guardian, until Chloe stood up too and smacked his head with a fist.

''Adrien Agreste! SHUT-the hell-UP!'' The former Queen Bee yelled, and silence reigned in the room once again.

Master Fu was ignoring both blondes, looking intently at Marinette, still waiting for an answer.

''I'm not sure about the implications of what you're asking me Master… but I am Ladybug'' She paused a moment because just thinking about it made her eyes well up, then continued. ''I'm in pain, we all are… but that only gives me more energy to fight and fix things''

Fu seemed to deflate and relax with her answer, so she assumed it what he wanted to hear. And then she realized there was one other person that would usually be there, but wasn't.

''Where's Luka?'' She asked then, and now Chloe's face crumbled under painful thoughts, her head turning away so no one would see her eyes get wet.

...

Outside the tiny room where Ladybug and the rest were having their little sad meeting, Antoine stopped listening in, already knowing they would repeat a conversation they had while Marinette wasn't paying attention. The man started to walk away towards the window, which was closed of course, since the cold outside was, as usual now, stupid levels of cruel.

Nooro watched as his master looked out with an expression he never wore in front of the others. For a man that became so good so quickly at understanding emotions, he sure was also pretty good at hiding them from everyone else. But Nooro had seen his sadness before, and now that there was a reason for it to be even worse, the little kwami knew there weren't any words invented by the humans yet that would make his charge feel a little better.

But he didn't need to say anything, for Antoine did it first.

''Can you ask Tikki about… the thing we spoke of before?'' The butterfly kwami approached the window to make sure no one on the other room would hear, though they doubted they even cared about the ex-agent at the moment.

''Master…'' He merely said, knowing already that if Antoine wanted something Nooro would end up doing it, but he was allowed to still not like it, wasn't he?

After all, he never got good users. Gabriel wasn't as terrible as some in the past, but never before had Nooro gotten one that could use the full extent of his power. Now he knew how learning what everyone felt in every single interaction you could remember affected a person. Antoine had been quiet, thoughtful and sad ever since he started reminiscing for clues and learning new details from memories that used to mean something before, and now they meant something else entirely.

''I need to do it Nooro'' Antoine looked away from the window towards the door to the next room, where faint voices could be heard. ''For them''

...

Ashe decided that knockin would be pointless, she doubted the man throwing a tantrum on the other side of the door would politely let her in even if she did, but she had to anyways. She risked her job, but then again not really. She knew deep inside that M. depended on her as much as she did on him.

''Sir, I have news'' She said in her usual tone, pretending that there wasn't a grown ass man throwing valuable objects and documents around the room while screaming in frustration.

He kept ignoring her so Ashe was eventually forced to lightly touch his shoulder once he was a bit more subdued. She peeked a bit to see what had he stopped to stare at and found that he was looking at a collection of pictures. Family pictures. The man flinched when she touched him, but Ashe could notice that he was slowly going back to being a human again.

''Just when I got precious intel… Ladybug's identity and location, that stupid Gianna Rossi attacks her'' The man whispered. Ah, thought Ashe, so that was what he was so mad about… she thought it would be the other thing, considering the pictures he was staring at at that moment. '' I lost the best chance I had at taking those earrings… and I also lost Gabriel Agreste…'' The man kept lamenting, and Ashe started worrying if her somewhat good news were enough to make up for basically most of their plans going to the trash bin.

''What is it, Ashe?'' He finally recomposed enough to ask her.

''Agent T. was reported from a medical center in Saint Malo a few hours ago, the staff had taken care of him after the hotel incident and apparently he's ok'' She informed, not sure how many details of his son's well being the man actually wanted.

''I see'' He said, standing up and fixing his curly gray hair. ''Have any of our other agents contacted him?''

''Not yet. Should we ask him to return with the jewel that he has?'' She asked.

''We both know he won't listen… He made excuse after excuse to not come to us with the two miraculous he had access to in a year, I doubt he will now… that stupid boy'' To anyone else, M. would have sounded like someone who hated his own child. To Ashe, hearing him refer to Trevor as anything else but another one of his agents was a sign of endearment.

''Ashe, prepare everything'' He said with renewed energy.

''Sir?'' She asked, confused.

''We are leaving this goddamn temple behind. I want to be in Paris in two days''

...

The evening was going well for Lady Vendetta. She got Ladybugs identity the same day the girl went out with her boyfriend, so destroying her home and her family was easy, without having to worry to not damage her too much. Not yet.

And what was best, is that she didn't just have one new toy to play with, but two!. She had already broken Nathalie, Agreste's secretary or whatever she was, in front of Gabriel. Making him confess Ladybug's identity was easy when the new love of his life was in danger of becoming yet another vegetal. The woman was uselessly staring at the ceiling of the Agreste mansion while the man sat by her side. She didn't have to do much more than turn his woman into a comatose doll for him to slowly break apart and regress to his old ways. She knew his story, after all. Everything that Gabriel did as Hawkmoth was to revive his similarly comatose wife, and now he was sitting next to his new love, who suffered the same fate. It was just a matter of time for him to beg her for one of the miraculous in the box she still kept. He wouldn't be Hawkmoth again, exactly, but oh it would be so much fun to have him chasing after his own son again!

And her second toy, oh! so unexpected but so welcome!

Luka Couffaine, who the public knew as the mysterious hero Viperion, who usually didn't show up to fight petty criminals on the streets, but to serious situations. No one outside their little group knew what his powers did exactly, so she was pleasantly surprised to find out that she had just taken out the strongest weapon Ladybug probably had at her disposal, and it was almost for free!

When Lady Vendetta went for Chloe, she wanted to get just that: The rich blonde who was part of Ladybugs crew, an easy target and even easier to break. She just had to let her witness her own kwami become nothing more than a barely breathing toy and her mind would surely give up. But the Revenge miraculous wielder didn't see the fact that Viperion had a relationship with her coming. She didn't see Luka coming.

And she didn't need to. The young man was so blind by his own fury, which was ironic, considering who he just came to fight against, that he came alone. His power was a tricky one, had she known they had the ability to control time she would have planned some things differently, but it turned out to be unimportant in the end.

Her power was to break things, no matter what. That also included the Ouroboros, the Cycle, the time loop that was Viperions power. The surprise on the hero's face when she didn't even have to do much other than watch him stupidly enter a room full of her miasma was a delight. His loop broke before he could activate his power, and the rest of the fight was easy. The hero probably expected Chloe to be there, judging by his frantic looking around the mansion right up until his mind broke with her miasma.

She couldn't help but feel amazed at her own power after that little show. She had just broken an ability that was the manifestation of infinity! Or so had her Kwami explained. The little thing didn't have much time to annoy her with her chit chat since she called for her transformation as soon as it was done eating. She didn't like Wrath when she was just a ghostly voice coming from her daughters room, she wasn't gonna start befriending the thing now.

Lady Vendetta approached the broken boy on the floor of the mansion, her miasma moving away from her path as she did. She crouched next to him and moved a string of hair from his unseeing open eyes. The woman didn't notice a tiny light-purple butterfly fluttering out of the room.

''You're kind of cute, Lila would have loved a boyfriend like you…'' She whispered, tears streaking down her cheeks even though she was smiling. ''If my daughter went for someone like you instead of the Agreste boy, she would still be here''

The woman kept talking, feeling fury grow and grow inside of her. And along with that, the room filled more and more with the red smoke coming from her eye.

...

''So in summary, her power is to break anything and everything that smoke touches?'' Said Marinette, and Adrien wasn't sure he liked her acting so focused on the mission mere hours after losing her home and her parents. It was a good thing in order to move forward and finally defeat this villain but… he also expected her fazade to break at any point now, and he begged destiny or whatever higher power there was that she wouldn't when it mattered.

''Yes'' Chloe nodded, a lot calmer than she was a while ago, Ladybugs professionalism was contagious. ''She doesn't destroy them, like Adrikins power does. Whatever that power of her touches, it transforms into a shell of what it was and loses its function without being completely erased from existence''

Those were some grand and precise words coming from Chloe of all people, but Adrien was secretly glad that he was back to being 'Adrikins'. It had been a whole new experience being scolded by his childhood friend, who usually had absolutely no criticism for him, no matter how badly he behaved. At least not in public.

''It makes sense. She's calling herself Lady Vendetta… so Revenge is her concept and Wrath is her power. Just like Change and Destruction are yours, Adrien. But instead of eliminating something that exists to make space for a new thing, that woman's power does the job only halfway'' Said Master Fu as he played with his beard.

''An eye for an eye'' Whispered Marinette.

''Leaves the whole world blind'' Finished Adrien, feeling like he finally understood why these evil miraculouses were so feared.

''Are we gonna keep ignoring the most important thing?!'' Suddenly Chloe exploded, and Adrien knew exactly why. Luka.

''We don't know what happened to him, he might still come back…'' Reassured Master Fu, though no one in the room believed him, not even himself, probably.

''Luka is not the type to go do something rash, we know that'' Said Marinette, triyng to calm Chloe down.

The girl just shook her head, frowning and teary.

''I left my room a mess, I walked here as soon as I knew I had to inform you guys of what I learned from that disgusting woman! I know what it looked like to him!'' She was clutching Pollen's unresponsive little body on her hands still. She hadn't let go of the kwami a single second.

Adrien looked down at the spot in front of him on the floor. Plagg was quietly lying there, looking like he wasn't paying attention. But he wasn't eating cheese, or giving his thoughts in a stupid way, so the ex-model knew the kwami wasn't exactly happy either. A quiet Plagg was a scary one.

And of course, Chloe was right. They all knew what probably happened to Luka. It was almost 2 AM. They had called Juleka, who barely kept her own worry at bay as she said that no, her brother hasn't called back or showed up since he left to the hotel.

A loud sigh interrupted their thoughtful silence. Antoine was on the doorframe to the other room, where he was staying. He was transformed.

''I sent a few butterflies after Luka… his emotions were… well, even with all the people stressed and afraid in this city, he was easy to find. But I was too late. I'm sorry'' He announced, arms crossed and avoiding Chloe's gaze.

The girl went after his neck a second after, shaking him for answers.

''What do you mean you're sorry!? What happened to him?!'' She yelled. Adrien's eyes were wide and Marinette was covering her mouth with both hands in horror.

''He…he's just like him, now'' He pointed at Pollen.


	25. Fuel

''What else did you see, Antoine?'' Asked Fu once Chloe and the rest calmed down again.

The elder man was good at compartmentalizing his problems into little boxes that he would open up later, on his own, but he was honestly surprised at how the young heroes seemed to be able to do the same, without his experience. Chloe stopped crying a bit after Marinette hugged her and promised she would fix Luka too, which was incredible considering the girl had just lost her parents in the same way. Adrien, after all that he'd been through, was still able to smile warmly at his girlfriends strength. Fu was so proud of him too, for not becoming an emotionless shell of a person, like other Chat Noirs in the past were prone to doing after so much failure.

''Other than that it wasn't much more, you know… just your typical villain monologuing to herself while she basked in her win against Viperion. She kept mentioning her daughter and how she would be so happy if she was alive, nothing specific on her plans'' Fu nodded once Antoine stopped talking and shrugged. But then a thought came to him.

''Wait, she mentioned Lila?''

''Many times, yes…'' Antoine then widened his eyes, understanding the same thing Fu did. ''Like she was… trying to-''

''Get herself angry on purpose?'' Completed Fu, noticing how the three teens changed expressions and came to understand too.

''Master, what are you saying?'' Asked Adrien, frowning.

''I have a theory… but I need one more fact to check it''

''You think she needs to be angry for some reason?'' Asked Marinette. Fu nodded.

''I think it's not just the price for her power, but the fuel, too. Antoine, did you see anything that indicated her power was raising as she spoke about Lila?'' Fu looked at the ex-agent, but the man shrugged once again.

''I think I saw more smoke come from her, but then I had to leave or my butterfly would be detected and killed. Couldn't spy much longer'' Answered the man, sounding a lot more apathetic than he had heard him do in the past weeks. Fu decided to comparmentalize that too, but Marinette had other plans.

''Speaking of spies'' She said, staring at Antoine.

''He's not the reason your parents got attacked, Marinette'' Said the old guardian, trying to defuse the situation before it escalated unnecessarily. He thought his intervention was specially needed since Antoine was acting weirdly and not exactly presenting a good case for himself. ''If he was a spy, he would be informing Mister M. and his agency, not Gianna Rossi'' That seemed to calm the girl down a bit, but then the implications of what he said dawned on her. Maybe Fu said too much in his hopes of saying little. Antoine sighed.

''I guess this is as good a time to say it as any'' Said the man while he passed a hand through his hair. ''Though if Fu wants to do the honor, I think it would be better''

''What is going on?'' Asked Chloe, sounding entirely not happy.

''A good question'' Commented someone from behind Master Fu.

There, in the window, was Rena Rouge. Her partner, Carapace, was leaning on the other side of it, and then a knock on the door of the apartment informed them of their third visitor. Deciding to continue their conversation once everyone was in, the old Guardian opened the door to reveal a large man with the face of a-

''Gorilla!'' Exclaimed Chloe, her nickname for the man overrunning the 'Simon!' Adrien yelled at the same time. Both blond teens got up, but it was the cat hero who went and hugged the man he hadn't seen in quite some time.

...

Alya, or rather, Rena Rouge, listened carefully while perched on the window as the discussion went on a direction she thought they would eventually touch ever since the agent joined them: Could they really trust the man?.

''So?'' She inquired, not really interested in letting the topic go just because they arrived, providing a window of distraction.

''Antoine, explain'' Ordered Marinette, fierce as ever. The fox heroine frowned, glancing at her friend and looking at her, really looking at her, for the first time since her arrival.

Knowing the news of her parents, the aspiring reporter was expecting Marinette to be a mess. But she supposed the crying and the grieving had already taken place while she was still ignorant of what happened. Except, she knew Marinette. She had adopted that same stupid tendency that Adrien had that irritated both of the girls and Nino so much in the past: To bury things deep down and leave them for later, to deal with them in solitude or just with their kwamis instead of with their human friends. Rena Rouge shook her head as she thought of the best way to approach the subject with Marinette without also making a scene. But then Antoine started talking, and she realized that there was just too much going on, too many things to solve, before they could sit down and have a therapy session.

''So you're saying you're a double agent? Or is it triple? I don't know at this point'' Chloe sounded exasperated as usual, though her makeup was a mess from crying and her hair had seen better days. The reporter wondered briefly what was she missing when she saw the tiny yellow creature on the girls lap… oh.

''I didn't lie to Ladybug when I promised her she could trust me. She knows this'' The man stared at the girl intently until she nodded, frown still on her face and crossed arms, but to Alya Marinette didn't look mad at the man, more like she was just generally tired. ''I had no choice, M. threatened my family so I had to play along'' When he said this, Nooro, who was perched on the man's shoulder, looked away. Interesting, thought the reporter.

''And he wasn't the one to inform Gianna about Ladybug's identity, or Mister M. for that matter, that correct?'' Said Fu, in a surprising effort to defend the man. Alya swore the elderly guardian didn't like the ex-agent, but she could appreciate the fairness he was showing.

''I pretended I didn't know and just asked as a connection between Mister M. and Gabriel Agreste'' Adrien's gaze turned just as intense as Marinette's at that comment. And with good reason, thought Alya.

''Wha-'' Before the ex-model could ask, Antoine gave the answer to the question on everyone's head now:

''She has him, and...She used Nathalie to force Marinette's identity out of him'' Confessed the Butterfly user.

A shower of ''Why didn't you say that from the beginning!'' and ''What else are you not telling us!?'' and other accusations of the kind rained over the poor man, though Alya remained quiet, and so did Nino. Her boyfriend was one of the few in the group who had grown kind of fond of the older man, too grateful for his help with Chat Noir back in Saint-Malo to have any ill feelings towards him; So the reporter wasn't surprised to see him wait patiently for the man to explain himself. What surprised her was that he didn't even seem interested in what he had to say to begin with. Nino Lahiffe was just looking at Marinette and Adrien with the same worry Alya felt inside over her friend.

''I apologize… But if it wasn't me, it would be anyone else delivering M.'s message over to Gabriel, and he would have been at his reach anyways. In fact, I got something out of my interactions with some of the other agent's he has in Paris.'' Antoine sounded like he did before, when they just met him: Professionally cold and kind of scary. Alya wasn't sure if it was because something happened, this is who he was all along and the playful man was just a mask, or both. ''M. has someone close as a spy, though now I know it's not any of us in this room, so I can freely say it without outing myself''

''How can you be so sure of that?'' Asked the fox heroine with her typical skepticism. She knew he was probably right, heck he was the only one in the room at risk of being suspicious, but she wanted to know the full story before her and Nino shared their insights.

''Because of what happened with the girls parents and Gabriel Agreste'' Said the man pointing at Marinette. ''If the other mole was any of us, M. would have acted before that happened, since we all knew who she is way before M. took a hold of Mr. Agreste. He likes to keep his leverage on people to manipulate them, not destroy it'' Antoine cringed a bit after saying that last part, while Marinette flinched. Yeah poor choice of words there, bud, thought Alya. But she smiled a tiny smile. So the coldness was the mask and not the other way around, it seemed. He did care.

They argued a bit more after that, mostly on the kind of flawed logic the man was using to determine their trust, but it ultimately was a pointless discussion: They all knew that what they had in that room, was people that they could trust with their lives. And speaking of, Alya asked at one point what happened with Luka and the answer explained Chloe's tears a lot more, even though seeing Pollen in the state the creature was was enough.

And then it was their turn.

''We didn't come here just to get our information, we have some too'' Announced Nino for her, before everyone became too tired to keep planning and discussing things.

''We left our contact for the government men to communicate with us, since no one else thought they would like to talk to us'' Said Alya, raising her eyebrows but refusing to smile. It was a risky move on her part, considering she was very much against revealing her identity to those kind of people in particular, but someone had to do it. And she knew Marinette didn't even think about it, probably just counting on going at them anytime they needed to, not even considering that they might want to start something too.

''Oh..'' Was all the reaction the very tired looking Marinette gave, probably realizing the same thing. Alya smiled fondly, happy that her best friend could still count on her for something.

''You already know this… and so did Luka, but Gianna moved over to the Agreste mansion for some reason, that's where she's been and where she probably keeps, well, everyone'' She didn't want to start listing what that woman had already stolen, realizing that it was quickly becoming a long one.

''Yeah, and even though her location is no secret, no one can attack her for fear of that red smoke she uses'' Said Nino, everyone else in the room nodded. It made sense that she wouldn't care about being obvious with her hiding spot. The question was why she changed it from her home in the first place, and that's what Alya was most interested in.

''Our government 'friends' are currently very offended at how right we were about the bullets against magic thing; They raided Gianna's home yesterday and failed miserably. They told me there's approximately thirty or so soldiers in the same state as… the judges family, as a result of that…'' Informed Alya. She saw how their group woke up a little at hearing that.

''So many…'' Commented Adrien, frown on his face.

''And not just that, they also said that they can't even retrieve all of them from the house, specifically, from Lila's room'' Alya kept her voice serious, letting them know how important that little piece of information really was. ''The place where the box was for a year, it's still filled with that red smoke, but here's the catch''

She lifted a finger, and smirked, though she kept her tone serious.

''At the time of the attack on the bakery, the smoke in that room disappeared completely, and the people outside of it trying to recover the downed soldiers in there were able to get them''

The first one to react to her information, probably reaching the same conclusion as she did earlier, was master Fu. But the first one to talk, interrupting whatever the old man was about to say, was Plagg:

''That room is her atlantis!''

...

The next morning was a white one. The snow still covered the sky, but Adrien could tell that it wasn't as cold as the days before. He wondered if it had anything at all to do with Marinette's actions, Gianna's actions, or if it was just a coincidence.

He woke up was he fell asleep: Hugging the girl of his dreams made reality. Marinette was still sleeping soundly, and Adrien decided to stay put for a bit longer while his mind woke up fully.

He remembered last night's conversation and conclusions. It was so much it honestly overwhelmed him a bit, but the main point he got out of it was that there was a solution in sight, for the first time in what felt like forever.

Lila's room, along with the miraculous box that was stored there for so long, were two of the four ingredients for someone like Lady Vendetta to be born. Only Adrien knew what were the the other two. He could still feel Plagg's silent judgement at him for keeping that to himself last night, but he decided that they had learned enough for one meeting. The attack on the bakery, Antoine being a double agent, losing Luka, Gabriel and Nathalie being taken by Gianna, a spy still close to them… and then her powers being tied to the one place where Adrien lost control of his miraculous, where destruction almost ended Lila's life a month earlier than where it happened.

He wasn't surprised that Marinette didn't mention that, or Fu for that matter, considering those two knew exactly what happened back then. But after hearing what the woman's powers were and their connection to that place in particular, along with Plagg's story of how it went down in Atlantis, Adrien felt that his conclusion was accurate: Wraths powers were a corrupted version of his own. It was almost too obvious, so much that he also knew that Plagg wasn't mad at him for not mentioning it. No. What Plagg, and only Plagg knew apart from himself, was the entity behind the Revenge miraculous.

That ghost he saw when Lila died at his arms that night at the gala. The fury of a past miraculous user who had been with Lila that whole time. The essence of revenge, simmering and accumulating over many years, who then became a new kwami.

Adrien wasn't sure what knowing that would help with, honestly, but Plagg seemed to think it was important. If not, the little cat wouldn't be staring at him right that moment, that white morning while he fought to not move too much so his girlfriend didn't wake up.

The floating kwami was frowning quietly in front of his face, and honestly it was almost comical, in a way, how they both knew what the other was thinking but neither of them wanted to wake their red counterparts up, so they just glared at each other.

''Fine'' The teen finally whispered, then proceeded to gently nudge the beautiful girl on his arms. ''Mari, hey, wake up''

''Hmmm?'' She said cutely, and Adrien hated himself for being the one that was bringing her back to the harsh reality that morning. ''Hi'' She said, still groggy.

''Hey bugaboo'' He smiled at her, grateful for once that the red was going to his face and not… somewhere else. She was just too cute.

''What time?'' She half asked, and though Adrien could still feel Plagg's eyes drilling on him, he had to postpone what the cat wanted him to 'confess' for a while. This was more important.

''Time to go see your parents at the hospital, princess''


	26. The visit

''Why are you so mad at me, huh?'' Adrien whispered to his left side, where Plagg grumpily floated, if that was even a thing. How else could the teen describe the way the kwami moved alongside him, his frown so deep the two people they had passed by so far flinched at the sight.

''You know why'' Answered the cat, not even bothering to lower his voice. Adrien worried for a second Marinette would heard their little exchange, but he worried in vain. The girl walking a few steps ahead was in her own world for the moment. And with good reason, they were a couple blocks away from the hospital where her parents were.

''I don't, actually'' He said, honestly. Sure, he knew something about their enemy Marinette didn't, not yet, but that wasn't enough of a reason for Plagg to be this upset… right? It wasn't even a groundbreaking piece of information!

''I can't believe I have to explain this to you, you're not a kid anymore!'' glowered the kwami, and Adrien stopped in his tracks, offended.

''What?! You have NEVER explained shit to me, Plagg! If anything you usually avoid doing it!''

''I knew very early on that you don't like listening!''

''This argument is pointless, just tell me'' Adrien crossed his arms, and resumed his walking before Marinette noticed.

''Tsk'' Was all the kwami said, then proceeded to ignore him the rest of the trip to the hospital.

Adrien was confused as ever, but he decided he'd rather worry about his girlfriend that day than about his grumpy kwami. He didn't even get what the problem was, he was going to tell her later anyways!

The sight of the hospital's entrance put a sudden stop to the teen's inner thoughts. He saw as Marinette hesitated before going in, and he could almost read her mind, in that moment. She was probably thinking of turning away and forgetting this ever happened until they saved everyone. Seeing her making the next step towards the doors prompted a relieved sigh from the blond. He didn't want to be the one to convince her about going anyways, that argument was full of landmines. He didn't think they would lose against Gianna, that wasn't a real possibility in his head. He truly believed in his Lady, after all. What he doubted was the aftermath. Would everyone really recover if they destroyed the cursed miraculous the woman possessed? No one had an answer to that. And Adrien didn't want to be the one to remind Marinette that day that this might as well be the norm with her and her parents moving on, that they might never recover. And he knew it would weight on her if they didn't, and she avoided visiting them like she almost did, just now.

Those grim thoughts followed him as they entered the place. There was a bunch of people Adrien didn't expect to fill the halls of a hospital, well, at least not while in duty: Soldiers. Then he remembered this was the place were the judges family was, too. He thought it was unlikely for Lady Vendetta to go for the second time against the same people, and soldiers wouldn't do much against her anyways, but then noticed the two that started following them after Marinette talked to an administrator about where were they going. They were waiting for them.

As they reached the room, Adrien saw Marinette's hesitation once again in front of the door, and this time he decided to help her by placing a hand on her shoulder. She immediately turned and, with glassy eyes, told him:

''I- I'll go in alone, ok?''

Adrien wasn't sure what the correct answer to that was, but he decided to respect his girlfriend wishes in the end. Maybe he should have obstinately followed her in, but she also deserved a moment alone with her parents.

Besides, that gave him the perfect chance to talk to their followers.

''So'' He merely said, arms crossed, expression serious. The two soldiers looked at each other in a brief, silent conversation, then back at Adrien.

''So'' One of them said, copying his tone.

''Why are you following two teenagers into a hospital?'' Adrien hated that he had to ask the obvious, but the men obviously needed the prompting or nothing would happen before Marinette got out. One of the soldiers laughed, the other merely smiled.

''We all know you are not just a teenager, Chat Noir'' Said the one that laughed once he was finished doing so. Adrien lifted an eyebrow.

''Still a hospital, you put my...friend, more nervous than she already was'' He had lost some of the lying habits he built during his year running away, but his tone was still convincing. No one on the public eye knew where he had been staying, or his relationship with Marinette. According to Alya, to the most intrusive of their fans, Adrien Agreste and Marinette Dupain-Cheng only went together to the gala and that was it. And, glamour aside, it was kind of understandable no one connected the dots yet, their brief time together before Lila's final attack last year was spent mostly in private. No public announcements, no media.

''Your friend needs as much protection as possible, you know that, right?'' It was obvious to anyone listening in that the soldier was keeping information to himself too, but Adrien didn't care.

''Sorry if I'm doubting your ability to protect anyone from Gianna Rossi'' The teen put as much sarcasm in his voice as he could, but then he saw the men's confused look. The one he was talking with scoffed.

''She's not the only danger around here'' And that was it, that sentence along with the stare Adrien got from both soldiers, that wary look of someone facing a ticking bomb. They were protecting Marinette from HIM.

The teen felt his heart clench a bit. He didn't think people would still be treating him like a threat, much less soldiers under the government they were trying to make amends with that same week. Adrien saw Plagg from the corner of his eye, not bothering to hide his presence but not intervening with the exchange either. Usually, the little cat would be the first to defend him in a situation like this, but Adrien supposed he couldn't count on that every single time. Besides, he had a piece of mind to share anyways.

''I know you two are not the ones I should be telling this to, but I'll do it anyways'' His voice was serious but not angry. He wasn't really angry, so there wasn't anything to control anyways. ''I'm a walking target since people know my identity, but so is Chloe Bourgeois. I have powers that destroy things, but so does that weapon you two carry. So I understand why you guys are here, but honestly? You're out of your league. That gun might hurt me, or even Ladybug, if we don't watch out, but Gianna Rossi is not playing around, and neither am I. You probably only see a kid playing with fire, but I'll tell you what I see''

The men frowned, and one of them rolled his eyes, but they were listening, at least.

''I see two possible new victims that I might fail to save yet again, and I also see a bunch of scared people in a hospital. They are probably stressed enough by the reasons they come here, they don't need to see a bunch of guns just because you guys think you can do something about me or Gianna Rossi'' He finished his little speech and, although he felt a lot better, the men just shrugged and walked away.

''You're right kid, we are not the ones you should be telling that to''

Adrien sighed, feeling a bit like an idiot but not regretting a thing. If they wanted to arrest him, they could have done it without filling the place with soldiers. He was probably missing something, a legit reason for them to be there, but he wasn't in the mood to think about it yet.

''Well I, for once, am happy to hear you complaining'' A voice said behind him.

''Plagg? You're done being mad at me for no good reason?'' He offered the kwami a little smile, and to Adrien's eyes, Plagg didn't look as frustrated as before, but the little cat insisted on at least looking the part, if half assedly.

''Hmm''

''Whatever'' Adrien rolled his eyes.

In that moment, Marinette came out of the room. She moved slowly and was no longer crying, but she didn't look at him as she started to walk away, towards the exit of the hall.

Adrien followed her in silence, giving her the space she probably needed. They continued like that until they were alone once again. Adrien gave a little nod to the same soldiers that were guarding them minutes ago, and saw with some satisfaction as some of them were leaving already. Marinette probably hadn't even noticed them, deep in her thoughts as she was.

''Mari'' He said, stopping her from walking away by grabbing her hand gently.

She stared at his hand for a good moment, and then Adrien realized she wasn't just numb or in the middle of her grief. She was looking at his ring.

''Can I ask you something?'' She said, her voice not as tiny or broken as he thought she would sound, considering the circumstances.

Adrien thought his role that day would be that of a shoulder to cry on, basically, as his lady saw the reality of the situation for the first time. It was one thing knowing that your parents were in a permanent coma, another to see them like that. But what the teen saw in Marinette's eyes as she asked him that question wasn't just grief. It was desperation, and he knew exactly what was he there for. He smiled, unable to stop his eyes from getting wet.

''No'' He said, gently.

Marinette frowned slightly, opening her mouth, though nothing came for a good while. Then her anger finally overcame her shock, and she started yelling, still not letting go of his hand.

''I need it!'' she tightened her hold on his hand. Behind her, Adrien spotted Tikki looming sadly, avoiding his gaze altogether. ''I- You know that is the only way to bring them back! I need that wish, Adrien!''

He had seen his lady mad plenty of times, but he realized at that moment that this was the first time he saw Marinette mad, at HIM.

''No'' He said once again, then pulled with that same hand she was squishing desperately, and hugged the girl with the other one. Marinette started shaking immediately at the contact. Adrien sighed, relieved, then continued speaking softly. ''You're in pain, and you're in all your right to be feeling the way you do'' He tightened the embrace. ''But we have a villain to defeat, and I can't do it alone, My lady'' He hated how pathetic his 'reassurance' sounded, but deep down he believed that's what Marinette needed to hear. That she wasn't helpless. That she wasn't his father.

''I'm not going to try and convince you that everything will be back to normal, like it always did in the past'' He continued, tears flowing freely now. ''And I know that hurts you more than anyone, specially now'' Marinette sniffed, but he felt her whole body relax a bit as he spoke. She let go of his ringed hand and corresponded the hug fully. ''All I can promise you, is that I'll be here for you. We're partners, and if… and if we end up using that wish, it'll be the two of us''

Once he was done talking, Adrien started patting Marinette's back as she continued crying for a little longer. Her sobs where almost silent, but he knew when she was done when she finally stopped shaking. He looked up from over her shoulder and saw Plagg and Tikki smiling at him. He returned it, although not without some hesitation. He had no idea what those two were thinking, in that moment.

Marinette was the first to let go of the embrace, she cleaned her face as best she could then she looked up to him.

''Thank you'' There were a bunch of unspoken gratitudes in her eyes a she said that, but he didn't need her to voice them. That's what he was there for, and he knew he didn't need to tell her that, either. Then Plagg interrupted their little moment by clearing his throat.

''Oh… umm, I have something to tell you, Marinette, though I don't know if right now is the best time'' He made sure his tone on that last bit was clearly directed at his kwami, Adrien stared at the little god with a frown. But then he saw that Tikki was nodding at him, too. Alright, then.

''What is it?'' Asked the heroine, after another little sniff.

''I umm. I realized a couple things about the revenge miraculous… and it's connection to me'' Adrien knew he would tell Marinette this at one point, but he realized he never planned on the when. It kind of made sense for Plagg to be pushing him so much, but still, the timing was weird. This was her moment, not his.

''What do you mean?''

So he explained the easier part first: About the ghost he saw while he was transformed into Destruction that night at the gala. They all knew about her existence, but no one but him and Plagg knew that she had been visible to him for a moment.

''You think using those forms might be the key to defeat her?'' She asked, now full on Ladybug mode.

''I'm sure of it, but… '' He looked over at Plagg and Tikki. ''Are we even ready for that? don't we need to be full adults for it to not have consequences?'' The two kwamis shrugged in a way that told Adrien and Marinette that they were keeping things to themselves once again, but in that half assed way that also indicated they would learn the truth soon. Alright, then.

Adrien sighed. ''And the reason I'm sure is because.. Well I lost control of destruction in the same room that miraculous was created, later on…'' Marinette frowned at him when he said that. Adrien started to doubt his conclusion about that the more he spoke, but he went out with it anyways. ''Her powers are very similar to mine, just a twisted version, so''

Plagg was looking mad again, as he and Tikki hovered over them while they talked. Adrien briefly wondered how no one had approached them yet, and realized it was snowing. Well that explained some things. His gaze returned to Marinette's face, expecting to see her take the news of him being connected to that sinful miraculous, but instead of there being a thoughtful look, she was frowning, confused.

''Adrien, Lila moved houses'' She simply stated, and he felt like the biggest idiot in the world.

''Wha-''

''And more importantly, are you… blaming yourself for Revenge's existence? Because if you are I swear'' She started to sound like the old Ladybug for a moment, but there was a undertone of real worry on her voice, too.

''What? no! I'm not blaming myself! I'm past that stuff already! I was saying that because, well, if our powers are similar Destruction might not work with her, or something, I don't know I'm not Luka! I'm not good at theorizing abo-'' His word vomit got interrupted by not just Marinette laughing, but Plagg too. Tikki was the only one blessedly not mocking him in that moment. He could almost feel the snowflakes melting as they touched his probably very red face.

''I made a mistake, alright? Plagg you've been all the spectrum of emotions today, hold yourself together'' He tried to defend himself, but Plagg continued laughing and he sounded… happy?

''My stupid cat'' Marinette said simply, and hugged him again. They were both shaking like in their previous embrace, but this time it was due to the cold. Standing in the snow without moving would do that to anyone, specially out of their superhero suits.

''I'm… confused'' He looked over at Plagg, searching for answers, but he had to wait until the kwami stopped mocking him first. So Tikki intervened.

''He's just happy, Adrien'' Informed the red kwami, smiling as she floated back to Marinette's coat. Plagg kept cackling behind them as they started to walk back to Simon's apartment.

''He's been so weird today''

''Well, he thought that you were… regressing, back to your old habit of blaming yourself. He couldn't tell you why he wanted for you to talk to Marinette about your supposed connection to Revenge because he wasn't sure if you were or not'' Explained Tikki. Marinette seemed a bit confused at first, but caught on quickly.

''Because… we need Destruction'' Commented the aspiring designer, thoughtful. ''Does that mean…?'' She asked, and Tikki nodded.

''That I'm ready to use it?'' Adrien wanted to be sure.

''Yes you idiot! Now that we know you just forgot about Lila moving places and you were NOT sulking and avoiding to talk to Marinette because you were blaming yourself'' There was still some teasing in Plagg's voice, but he sounded genuinely happy when he said that.

The kwami joined Tikki under Marinette's coat, which Adrien couldn't blame him for. It was a lot fluffier than his. Then he continued.

''You were right on one thing, you dumb kitten. The pure form of Destruction, which I'm certain you can use now without permanent consequences, is the key to undo whatever that Ghost did to create that wicked miraculous once and for all''

Marinette's gaze shifted a bit at that, and Adrien grabbed her hand, reading her mind once again.

''I'll be your secret weapon, the hidden nuke, if you will, my Lady. But we need you, and your plans, to make this work'' Adrien could see the gears shifting on his girlfriend's head. She nodded, determination clear on her face.

''It's time we start moving, kitty''


	27. Bunny

''So this is how things are'' Said the impeccably dressed man, who Alya, like most of her friends, referred to in her mind as 'government man #1'.

While the city went through a silent, wintery chaos as news from the attack on the bakery reached everyone, the team met with the same people that were, just mere days ago, offering a deal along with Gabriel Agreste. The ex villain was not present, just like Nathalie Sancoeur and the hero Viperion. Currently both groups were cooperating somewhat, informing each other of how they lost three important people that had delicate information to Gianna Rossi, now officially known as Lady Vendetta, much to Alya's disappointment.

The purpose of using code names was to hide identities, thought the reporter, and in some cases to show respect for someone's hard work; Like how the soldiers that were currently guarding the door of the room they were all in called Adrien 'Chat Noir'. Gianna Rossi didn't deserve any respect, and calling her Lady Vendetta was like giving her power, in a way. Alya, transformed into Rena Rouge, looked at her left side where Ladybug was standing. She felt incredibly frustrated on behalf of her best friend, who had to just pretend right now that her parents weren't in a hospital just to appear strong and confident in front of these people. She hadn't had the time to talk to her and support her, only hoping that at least Adrien did, while bearing the guilt of having safe, unknowing parents back home.

''Yes, Viperion wasn't just one of our strongest allies… he wa- is our friend'' Said Ladybug, correcting herself when she saw Chloe flinching at the mention of her boyfriend.

Alya was extremely surprised to see that Chloe was taking the loss of Luka a lot worse than Marinette seemed to take her parent's hospitalization. All she knew is that if something like that happened to Nino OR any member of her family, she wouldn't even be there, so her admiration for both girls just grew. Or maybe she wasn't giving herself enough credit and being self deprecating was her way of dealing with her own survivor's guilt…

There were two government men in the room, who just stared at each other with what seemed to be soft expressions for the first time since they started the meeting. Apparently Alya wasn't the only one having a hard time maintaining a cold, professional demeanor, because the pity in their eyes was now very apparent. Man #1 then coughed, ashamed of his sudden bout of humanity, and continued:

''We can now assume that this terrorist now knows who all of you are, then?'' He asked, his voice reflecting the fact that he knew perfectly well how delicate that question was.

''Better to assume the worst…'' Commented Carapace in a low volume, but since the room was silent it didn't go unnoticed.

''Yes'' Said Ladybug, loud and firm. Alya noticed a quick glance exchange between her and Chat Noir, and his black-gloved hand moved onto the heroine's shoulder right before a flash of soft pink filled the room.

It happened as quickly as they were used to, which made it even more shocking to see. If it wasn't for how surprised Alya herself felt at the sudden de-transformation, the expressions on the two men would have been really funny.

''She already knows who I am, so it's pointless to keep that a secret from my own allies'' Marinette said, still sounding as confident as Ladybug usually presented herself.

Alya saw in what felt like slow motion how the new information dawned on the two men. Their faces went from shock and awe to pity again as they took in who the girl standing in front of them was.

''You're the baker's daughter… the ones who got attacked'' Said man #1, not bothering to hide his emotions anymore.

''How is that possible!? It's so-''

''Obvious?'' Provided Chat Noir, with a cheeky smile. ''Like my own father being a villain, while I, his hero son, never knew and vice versa?''

''How-''

''Magic, dude'' Nino said, interrupting man#1 again.

After the shock wore off a bit more and they briefly explained the two men how the glamour worked, Alya started to wonder if she should reveal herself too. But what would be the point? When all of this was over, she didn't want these guys, no matter how helpful or well intentioned they were, to know who she was. To be able to knock on her door and bother her family. That didn't mean she was a bad hero, did it? .But she had been the number one person on Paris trying to discover who Ladybug was, back in the day… she felt like a hypocrite, and her guilt grew as the conversation went on without her.

''So how come we all learned who this new villain is immediately?'' Asked Man#1.

''The glamour doesn't work with her, it's one of the few prices she paid for that corrupt power she has'' Explained Chloe, probably quoting Luka.

''So she's not like you?''

''Yes and no… She has A miraculous, but it's a corrupted one… an abomination, of sorts. This is why we are being so cautious to confront her, instead of just facing her on like we did with Hawkmoth, sir.'' Said Marinette. Alya didn't miss how her friend omitted the fact that the power Gianna has was artificially made.

The government man #1 sighed loudly, running a hand through his greying hair in frustration.

''Sylvain'' He said.

''Huh?''

''My name. You gave us yours, and so much more, so I suppose it's my turn to give something back, even if it's just as a sign of trust''

''I...didn't even know your name was a secret'' Commented Marinette, a tiny smile on her face. ''We just never asked because…''

''Because we didn't expect to meet you again'' Barked Chloe, but she smiled too after showing her tongue.

''Haha I suppose we deserve that…'' Alya could almost read the man's mind, now that he wasn't acting like a rock. He was probably thinking about how young they were, now that he knew Ladybug, the team captain so to speak, was still a teenager. And he wasn't wrong. Master Fu no longer had a miraculous and Antoine, the only other adult on their little team, was not in the reunion today either.

''Don't get too excited about what you've learnt today, Mr. Sylvain'' Said Marinette, crossing her arms in front of her chest. ''My identity won't be a prized secret for longer, and this is why I came here today in the first place''

''Oh?''

''I need your help preparing a broadcast, with as much audience as possible, for me to announce who I am to the world''

...

Gabriel Agreste saw a bunny in the room.

No, he wasn't getting crazy… well, crazier. Yes, he was trapped in a literal villain's lair, pretending to be completely broken when he was only halfway there as he held Nathalie's body. Next to him, Luka couffaine lying on the floor in a similar state as his precious ex-secretary was. But he wasn't crazy. There was a woman with the bunny miraculous in the room, though her image glitched in and out of reality. She looked very frustrated.

Gabriel would have talked to her, but Gianna was never too far. The woman was human, still, and had to procure herself some food she likely stole from a poor soul, but she was back already. The man noticed how the woman almost never dropped the transformation, and a small part of his brain, the Hawkmoth part, kind of envied the power she displayed. Thankfully most of Gabriel these days was sane enough to ignore those thoughts, and to realize that yep, the bunny girl was real, and was also hand signing stuff to him from behind the woman.

He pretended to look at the villain when in reality, he was trying to decipher what the hero behind her was trying to tell him. His mind felt foggy still, the dread and loss bagging him down, but eventually he noticed the bunny was pointing at something. The box.

''You have the same problem as your daughter did'' Commented the man, slow and quietly, but loud enough for the woman to stop eating for a second and pay him attention. He looked up to her face and saw her creepy smile.

''Well well, you're not as broken as I thought you'd be, Mr. Agreste'' Said the woman, biting her food again right after.

''Lila didn't have anyone trust worthy enough to lend those jewels to, that's why she lost'' He kept going, nodding slightly at the bunny who stopped facepalming at his apparent stupidity and realized what he was doing. She started moving, still glitching, closer and closer to the box.

''She lost because she lacked power, and that is not a problem I have'' The woman answered, frowning. The topic of her daughter obviously angered her, but there was something weird about it all, that even Gabriel's half broken mind noticed. That woman wanted to be angry.

''They'll defeat you like they did to me, it's how these things go'' He kept going, and finally Gianan moved, stood up from her spot next to the box and walked towards him.

Gabriel spared a second to look at the bunny girl, and she was hand signing again to him, not making a sound. He frowned at her, wondering why wasn't she taking the box and running for it, but then he saw why: She wasn't able to. Bunny attempted to grab it and it was enough for Gabriel to see that she phased through it.

''What's your point, Agreste?'' Asked the villain, squatting in front of him. She let some of her red smoke come out of her eye, and it was slowly creeping on him. ''Hurry up and answer before you join them'' She smiled. Gabriel smiled back.

''Oh no point, just distracting you while the bunny takes the miracle box'' He said nonchalantly, smirking and pointing behind her.

The next set of events went by extremely fast, and thankfully by then Gabriel's mind was already awake and working. They had only one chance at this, he couldn't mess up again.

Gianna turned around as soon as the words came out of his mouth, and she saw Bunny attempting to grab the box, or at least pretending that she was about to do it. The villain's immediate reaction was to screech and let out her smoke to follow after the bunny heroine, who just moved away from the box to the other side of the room. The fact that they were in one of the biggest living rooms on the mansion helped them, as there was too much space for the red miasma to quickly fill it up. Gabriel didn't know if it would affect the glitching bunny girl, but it would surely hurt him, so he had to move fast.

The moment Gianna got up and started ignoring him, the ex-villain darted away from his position and grabbed the box. Gabriel grabbed the first jewel on the box, ignored the tired Kwami that spawned as soon as he touched it and summoned a transformation, hoping it would be something useful for their situation. It was his lucky day.

The Ox nose ring was an odd choice, but he had no time to dwell on it as his new powers manifested. Honestly he had no idea what he was doing, and he realized a bit too late that he shouldn't have ignored the little god before he knew what the activation word was for this miraculous.

''Magnitude!'' Yelled the bunny girl as she ran from the miasma, but revealing their plan to Gianna in the process.

With no time to lose, Gabriel yelled ''MAGNITUDE!'' and he immediately noticed how the room started getting smaller, the floor farther away.

Realizing what his new power was, the man quickly grabbed the box between two growing fingers and with the other hand, he grabbed Luka and Nathalie as gently as he could.

''What the-'' Was all he heard from the villain, as she stared up at him from the floor, where she was getting tinier and tinier from his perspective.

He had no idea the extent of this power, how large could he get, but soon his head hit the roof of the mansion, which was a fear considering it was… well, a mansion. The pressure continued on until the structure of the place gave out, and Gabriel Agreste, protecting those in his hands as best he could, grew and grew into the night until he decided enough was enough when he realized he was reaching Eiffel tower dimensions. This would surely make the news, he thought with whatever humor was left in him, but then an intense pain coming from his legs prompted a growl out of his giant's mouth.

He couldn't hear or see what was going on below him on the shattered mansion, but he made an educated guess that Gianna was using her miasma on him, breaking his legs. The pain soon became unbearable, and before his enormous form crumbled, he called off his power. As he started shrinking again, he did one painful step away from the main hall and towards the street at the back of the house. The weight of the two people he previously could hold in one hand was quickly increasing as his size decreased, but he had an idea of what to do now. As soon as he was able to, he placed both Luka and Nathalie on the street floor and started searching on the miracle box for one of the miraculous he did know. Once he found the horse miraculous, deciding he had no time to detransform he simply put the glasses on and summoned its power on top of the Ox one. It was draining, but the sound of breaking windows was enough of a reminder that he had no time to lose.

Red miasma started pouring out of the mansions windows, an enormous quantity of it, and it blindly flooded the street, surrounding Gabriel. But he had already summoned a portal. He pushed as best he could with his broken legs the two unconscious people, hoping that whoever was on the other side would realize what was going on and help him. A couple of mysterious hands came out of the portal and pulled the bodies, and once both of them were out of the street Gabriel grabbed the box and took the offering hand, groaning in pain as he went through the portal.

As soon as the last of him was out, he closed it, right before the red miasma went through as well. He laid on the cold floor...no, grass, that he teleported to, catching his breath for a moment, but then the pain reminded him that he had to keep moving.

''C-call the heroes'' He said to the random teenagers that were on the part at night, then he called both transformations down before they drained all his remaining energy.

''L-Luka!'' Exclaimed one of the girls that helped him through the portal, a tall goth who completely ignored him in favor of the unconscious snake hero.

''Mister Agreste?'' Asked the other one, who was almost the complete opposite of the other girl in terms of looks.

Gabriel's vision started to fade to black on the edges, and he tried to crawl over to Nathalie's body and protect her from the cold as best he could.

He barely managed to grab one of her hands before finally passing out.


	28. Watch

To say that Rose Lavillant was confused would be an understatement, considering her afternoon.

Here she was, standing in the snow in front of three unconscious people, one of them a former villain who also happened to be the father of her classmate, another one her girlfriend's brother. Said girlfriend was crying while shaking Luka's limp form, while snow piled up quickly around and over them. Oh and there was a box.

All of that came right out of a portal that opened in front of them all of a sudden.

But even before the crazy magic stuff started occurring, things weren't great. Luka was missing, and the only comfort Juleka had about it were one: Rose, and two: The fact that literal superheroes promised that he would be fine. Or so Chloe, of all people, told them. Rose was already having a mild existential crisis when she realized that Juleka was on good terms with the blond all of a sudden, that something happened between them that she knew absolutely nothing about. She decided to forget about that and focus on keeping her girlfriend on her feet, spending that whole evening together convincing each other that Chloe said Ladybug was on top of the problem already.

But Rose, in her gut, knew that she didn't have the whole picture. Worse, as her conversation with Juleka went on, she realized that Julkea DID. Her beautiful, smart and honest above all girlfriend knew something and was purposely hiding it from her, whatever it was, and it hurt. And she couldn't express her hurt or demand answers, because, well, Juleka was hurting even worse.

And then this.

''Luka! open your eyes p-please sniff, please'' The goth girl cried as she had been doing for the past thirty seconds, while reality dawned on Rose's mind slowly but surely.

She heard Mr. Agreste whisper something along the lines of ''Call Ladybug'' before passing out trying to grab the other unconscious person's hand, a neat looking woman who seemed to be in a similar state as Luka. No visible wounds, just a person staring at the sky, with nothing reflecting on their eyes. At least they were breathing, thought the pink-loving girl.

The ex-terrorist, who last Rose knew, was supposed to be in jail, was another story, though. He had been wearing spandex when he came through the portal, but as soon as his eyes rolled behind his skull it disappeared, leaving him dressed in the same fashion the woman was: Casual pants and a sweater. It was weird, seeing him in something other than his self-designed clothes, but thinking about that was Rose deflecting the problem, or problems, at hand.

The short girl shook her head and pinched her arm once, just to make sure, then went into action.

''Juleka'' She said in a soft, but loud voice. She put a hand on the goth's back, and that stopped her immediately from her attempts at waking her brother up.

''R-Rose sniff, he's-''

''I know, love, let's get them out of the cold, first, ok?'' She said, smiling as soon as her girlfriend's eyes connected with her own. She gulped down all of her insecurities and picked one of the contacts on her phone she didn't think she would ever use twice in the same day: Chloe.

''Hello?'' Said the other blonde's voice, with a lot less energy than what Rose was used coming from her. A lot less malice, too.

''H-hey Chloe? it's Rose-''

''I know it's Rose, Rose. It's a cellphone I can see-'' There it was, something akin to the usual Bourgeois. That woke something in Rose too, thankfully.

''Listen to me! I'm in Trocadéro right now with Juleka, Luka, Mr. Agreste and a woman. I think it's his secretary. They came through a portal and are in really bad shape and we can't carry all of them to a hospital, I would call the police but I think this is more of a Ladybug thing than a police thing, so please can you let her know?'' Her voice was firm and angry, but calm at the same time. One of those rare instances Rose would know she would feel embarrassed recalling, because she hated treating people like that.

There was a good ten seconds of silence on the line before she heard a faint and shaky ''Thank you'' From Chloe, and then another couple of moments before the girl spoke again.

''I'll- I… um- Just wait there ok? Someone will go for you'' It was so weird, listening to Chloe like that, but at the same time so comforting knowing that the girl really did care about Luka, because if one thing was sure to Rose, is that she would probably sound the exact same, with that shaky relief, if her girlfriend went missing and suddenly found. All her former jealousy and uneasiness about the rich girl went poof, just like that, and Rose found herself smiling at the prospect of having Chloe as a close ally in the future, maybe even family, the way things were going, instead of a constant source of angst.

The next ten minutes Rose spent doing her best effort at keeping the three unmoving individuals as warm as possible, while snow kept piling up. Both her and Juleka knew before meeting there that it was ill advice to go out lately, school was closed for a reason: The weather was unpredictable and harsh, and although the news kept trying to keep people calm, it was obvious that this was not normal. But both of them were prepared, covered head to toe in high quality winter gear. Their newcomers weren't. Specially Luka, who was curiously dressed in the same outfit he went out that day, when he was about to have lunch with his family and Rose, and Chloe was late. A normal hoodie, not even waterproof.

''What is that thing?'' Rose asked, pointing at the box. It was in part because she really wanted to know, but also to distract Juleka somehow. It worked.

''Thats!'' Her girlfriend opened her one visible eye to extreme as she stared at the mysterious box, and spared a moment of warming her brother up to bring it closer to their little group. ''Oh my god'' She whispered to herself, barely audible to Rose.

But before any of them could open it or do anything else, someone landed beside them, splashing some of the snow as he did.

''Hello ladies- wow this looks worse than I thought'' The green hero said, his obvious attempt at keeping things light with his tone of voice and chosen words falling apart as his face did when he assessed the situation. ''Of all the timings…'' He commented, then shook his head and started working.

''Carapace'' Murmured Rose, both as a hello and as a thank you.

''Happy to help'' He smiled at her with a familiarity she wasn't used to getting from strangers.

Then the turtle hero exclaimed 'Shelter!' and a giant green bubble surrounded them, literaly sheltering them from the snow and the cold.

''Wow'' The pink girl couldn't help but gape at the sudden change in enviroment. She always thought the green hero's powers were simple and straightforward, just a shield.

But this felt like they were inside a pocket world of its own, with a warmth only a cozy would could provide sometime after the heating was turned on, not the same second it came to existence. And then it did something even more amazing: It started floating. With all six of them inside, box included, the green field worked as a vehicle that no cold could penetrate. It vaguely reminded Rose of one of those comic super heroes, a Green lamp?. Whatever she wasn't into that, no shame in not remembering.

''Alright fasten your seatbelts, we are scheduled to be at the hospital in about thirty minutes. Sorry I'm a turtle, speed is not part of the service'' He kept joking around, and Rose couldn't help but smile. He was doing something amazing that she was sure had not even been filmed coming from him before, and already was apologizing for not being fast.

''Thank you'' She said as the one not unconscious and not crying to the point of blindness person in their little, very random group.

''Anytime Rose… besides, we were looking for these guys…'' A tinge of worry made itself present in the hero's voice, and Rose ignored the fact that he knew his name out of gratitude, and decided to tend to her girlfriend in the meantime.

''He's going to be ok'' She whispered on Juleka's side, while the girl, a lot calmer but still crying and shaking a bit, stared at her brother.

Rose noticed how the girl was biting her lip hard, and it took her a couple seconds to realize that it wasn't out of frustration over her brother, but because she wanted to say something, but couldn't. It wasn't that hard to recognize, mostly because she had been doing that a while now, and even more since Luka disappeared.

''What is it?'' She asked in a soft voice, not wanting to pressure but to let her know that she could talk to her.

''I-'' The girl then looked up to the hero who was floating above them, guiding the green bubble across the skyline of the city.

He somehow understood the plight that was going on inside of Juleka's mind, as his gaze crossed theirs. He smiled.

''You can talk to her, Juleka''

''B-but the secret''

Carapace snorted. ''You can talk to her'' He repeated.

There was a moment of hesitation for Juleka, and then Rose was embraced in a hug she didn't know she was needing until that moment.

''I'm so sorry Rose! I would have told you! But it's not my secret and... ''

''What?'' She asked, still confused while at the same time, a small part of her brain was screaming something at her.

''Luka is Viperion Rose, he got himself into this on his own. I knew what happened to him I just… I didn't want to burden you but I still needed to talk to you and I'' The girl kept rambling about their shared afternoon, about their conversations and why they felt as constricted as they were.

''Luka is a hero?'' She asked, the news still dawning on him.

''Yes! and he's also the guardian of that box'' The goth said pointing at the wooden box.

''This is both good news and bad news for us'' Commented Carapace, the bittersweetness in his voice reflecting the whole situation.

''What will happen with my brother?'' Asked Juleka. The turtle hero seemed to ponder the answer to that for a moment, but the goth's temper started showing then. ''Don't lie to me, Nino''

''Wait, NINO?!'' Rose exclaimed, but she was ignored.

''We don't know how to revert the red miasma yet, but right now we are, well, Marinette is going to try and do something that might be the answer''

''I want to help'' Said Juleka, cleaning her eyes from the last tears she shed. All the while, Rose's mind was imploding.

''I don't know about that Juleka… it's... '' He gulped. ''You know what? We do need all the help we can get, fuck it''

The bubble somehow started moving faster after that, as if its speed could be powered by the hero's determination. Nino's determination.

''It makes so much sense…'' Rose whispered to herself, a shaky hand covering her mouth.

Now she was the one being patted on the back in a comforting way by her girlfriend.

Rena Rouge really didn't want to let her boyfriend go alone, but this time there was no logical reason for him not to. And they needed that logic, otherwise Chloe, powerless as she was, would have jumped in too in the retrieving mission the turtle just went off to. Of all the timings…

The blonde got the call from Rose seconds after Ladybug went live, cameras surrounding her and their team as they were about to reveal to the world who she was. The whole world. The reporter thought with some amusement about how usually shy Rose would feel later when she learnt her call was the one that interrupted the first minutes of the most important broadcast of the year. Maybe even the century.

Then Carapace went off the ''show'', being the most capable one to carry and protect people, while the rest of them, meaning: Ladybug, Chat Noir, Rena Rouge, The moth, Chloe and Master Fu kept it going.

And it was going great. Or, as great as giving out information that would put you in an extremely vulnerable position can go. For Marinette, that is.

The fox heroine had a lot going on in her head at that moment, cameras on them, while her best friend spoke some sort of introduction and explained the situation to the public. But if her mind was pie chart, she guessed that about 60% of it would be compressed solely out of shame and shame alone.

She justified it with herself over and over, had nino agreeing with her completely and going the same route. She had Adrien and Marinette reassuring her with a smile that it was a personal choice, and that there was no need for her to join in. But she was still ashamed of not being strong enough to reveal herself to the public like her friend was doing now.

It was even worse because SHE was the one that tried to do that to the mysterious Ladybug years ago, as a self acclaimed reporter and blogger. She wanted Bunnyx to get her back in time just so she could slap her past self a couple times. Maybe that would help her finally come with terms with her own choice, that no amount of shame would change: She would not be revealing herself, not just today, but ever. She saw what happened to Marinette's house and parents. What happened to Adrien. Heck even to Lila. There just wasn't any good coming from mixing the superhero life with the normal one, even if her boyfriend was involved too. And Nino came to the same conclusion, what with a little borther and all, but as far as Alya knew, he didn't have the steely resolution she did of NEVER doing it, ever. Absolutely no way, not even after defeating Lady Vendetta and Antoine's ex boss. Alya would never do what her best friend was doing at that moment.

And she admired her so much more for that.

''That is why we are doing what we can to defeat this new foe, and standing here in front of all of you, to tell you that so that you can be at home in peace, knowing that we are not sitting idle'' Ladybug paused to breathe. Rena Rouge was sure that to the people watching her, she looked awesome as always, but standing close at her left side she could hear the faint tells of nervousness that the girl was suppressing as she spoke.

She could see in the tv in front of them, that showed what they were showing the world, how Chat Noir put a reassuring hand on Ladybugs shoulder right before she continued to finally go to the point of the whole thing.

''But we are not here just to speak. We- I'm here to show you'' Another pause. ''Before today, everyone knew me, the heroine of Paris, as Ladybug. Every single one of you were under a magical illusion that protected my identity and that of my family''

''That glamour broke once, when the world learnt who I am against my will'' Chat Noir spoke, hand still on Ladybug's shoulder, smile on his face as he dropped his transformation.

The fox heroine felt faint amusement at the fact that people still gasped at the contrast between the cat hero and the ex-model, at seeing the transformation take place in front of them. Adrien had cut the last strands of black hair out and one could say he was back to his older look thanks to that, but he really wasn't. He no longer dressed with daddy's clothing line, his hair style was closer to Chat Noir's than ever and his eyes gleamed, a toxic green present even after dropping his transformation. Black nails he no longer bothered to hide finished the look of someone that screamed 'Chat Noir', and yet people still awed and widened their eyes at the 'reveal'. It was kind of funny.

''But what you will learn today is out of my free will, and because it's a step closer to defeating this new villain and saving the world from the wrath. Before today you only knew me as Ladybug, but now'' Another big inhale, and as the red clad hero exalted, her transformation dropped as well, a pink light engulfing her form before disappearing and revealing the girl behind the mask. ''I'm just Marinette. A normal girl, with a normal life'' She smiled a genuine one, and to Rena it looked as if the girl she knew so long ago was containing a laugh at some kind of internal joke, while doing one the most brave and difficult things she had to do so far.

Now the gasp in the audience, and probably world wide if with some delay, was a big one. But the girl on the stage didn't let anyone reflect on their new knowledge, and kept talking.

''My partner got his identity out, so it's only fair I do so too. Now you know what's at stake'' She said in a more serious tone. ''My parents got attacked by Lady Vendetta and are in the hospital. I don't want anyone else suffering the same'' There wasn't any elf pity in her speech, even while mentioning that painful truth. Marinette then called forth her transformation, and Chat Noir did the same by her side.

''This is when we start to win'' She announced, then raised a hand to the sky. ''Lucky Charm!''

The shining power blinded everyone for less than a second, and then a tiny, round object appeared in the sky and landed on the heroine's raised hand. Rena, as close as she was standing, could easily see what it was even before Ladybug showed it to the cameras with a confident smile on her face. And then Chat Noir had to go in and ruin the moment.

''You just have to watch!'' He exclaimed, and not even the shock of the reveal prevented the collective eye rolling that his pun provoked. Horrifyingly, there was some laughter too.

''Goddamn it you dork'' Said Chloe at the cat's other side, face palming.

There, on Ladybug's hand, instead of a gun like they feared so much, was a watch. A very familiar pocket watch.

Rena could hear the sigh of relief coming from her friend as she stared at the thing on her hands, realizing what it meant. ''I understand'' Said Ladybug in a small whisper that the fox heroine was probably not even supposed to overhear.


	29. Weakness

''You two again?'' Commented Chat Noir to a pair of soldiers that were guarding the door to Gabriel Agreste's room at the hospital.

Marinette would have paid more attention to her boyfriend's little chat with the two men, but her mind was elsewhere. After her 'little conference' where she gave her most precious secret to the world for free, her Ladybug confidence decided to go to sleep for a bit and Marinette was left alone with her insecurities again. She did her best not to show it much as Synclair offered to take the group to the hospital, where they would see the extent of the damage Gianna did on Gabriel, Nathalie and Luka. But inside she was shaking.

She followed Adrien inside the room and was a bit surprised at the famous designer being awake, considering who he confronted without a miraculous. But then the man started telling his side of things.

''I'm sorry, Marinette' Said the man looking straight at her.

''What? You got us Luka back! Not to mention the box'' She tried to sound cheery about the good news, but knowing the state the snake hero was in, it was hard.

''I told Gianna your identity, in a futile attempt at saving Nathalie from her power…'' The sad tone the man spoke in reminded Marinette of how he looked after Chat Noir broke his connection with his wife. Lonely and quiet, but without that energy drawn from desperation that Hawkmoth had.

''I…'' She wanted to comfort him, but she would be lying. And they probably knew it, both Adrien and his father. She shook her head lightly. She tried thinking of something polite to say, at the very least, but Gabriel stopped her.

''You don't need to forgive me for this, Marinette. We might have gotten some good out of my… capture, but the loss of your parents, Viperion and.. And Nathalie are not worth it. I'm sorry''

The former villain was rarely this earnest and his voice broke a bit when he mentioned Nathalie, and so Marinette didn't feel too bad when her eyes watered up. She just nodded and cleared her face with her sleeve, deciding that she wasn't ready to talk yet.

''Father, did you learn anything else from Gianna Rossi?'' Asked Adrien, in a much needed change of topic.

''I told Carapace all I learnt and he said you already know most of it'' The man thought for a second, then continued. ''She provokes anger to herself by thinking about her daughter, and that powers her up somehow''

''Wrath is her fuel'' Commented Marinette, her voice firm again.

''And revenge is her only goal, I don't think she would be content with just… breaking… all of us. But if we fight her head on she might as well…'' Said Gabriel. Then his eyes went wide. ''The bunny girl! I forgot to mention that to your friend. The bunny miraculous user, a woman, helped me escape by distracting Lady Vendetta.''

''Bunnyx is here?!'' Both Adrien and Marinette exclaimed at the same time.

In that very moment, the door to the room opened and an alarmed nurse entered, followed by a curious looking Carapace and Rena Rouge.

''Please don't yell at the hospital'' The woman said that with a lot less authority one would expect from a worried nurse, and she kept looking between her patient and Marinette. Oh, right. Everyone knew her identity now…

''Sorry'' She apologized, but the woman turned into a completely difference person once she started working on her patient.

''How is he?'' Asked Adrien, a mix of worry and acceptance in his voice. They all knew what Gianna's powers did.

''Well if he stopped trying to move so much he would be much better'' The woman was completely avoiding the question, which was almost like an answer.

Marinette cringed inside. She didn't have to be a doctor to know, just by looking at the man's damaged limbs, that he would not walk again unless a miracle happened. Good thing is that they were working on one.

''As I was saying'' Said Gabriel, ignoring the nurse and the pity stares completely. ''Bunnyx helped me, but she only did so as a distraction. Something was wrong with her, both Gianna and I could see her, but I also saw her phasing through the box when she tried to take it, like a ghost'' The ex-villain sounded more concerned about that than about his own legs, Marinette noted, not really knowing what to think about that. Was his faith in them fixing things so great, or was it that he just really didn't care that he might never stand again?

The heroine shook her head and mentally scolded herself, she was thinking about the wrong thing!

''Where is she now? Did you see her after you teleported out?'' She asked.

''No''

Well that was frustrating

Ever since that night at the gala, when Adrien left for almost a year and Bunnyx stopped her from going after him, she wondered what the 'big plan' was regarding the time heroine. The older version of Alix already explained to her once that her powers were not to be used lightly, and she only really intervened when something major was at play. The girl found some comfort in knowing all this time that she was on the right path, even after failing so much, just because Bunnyx hadn't showed herself yet to correct it… but what if there was another reason?

The frustrating part was that only the time heroine could explain, and Marinette had absolutely no idea how to contact her. Her only clue was her own Lucky Charm giving her a watch, but she was pretty sure that meant it was 'time' to give Alix, the present one, her miraculous… was there a connection between these two things? Or was she overthinking it?

''There's smoke coming out of your ears, my lady'' Adrien commented, and Marinette realized how awkward it must have been for them to wait for her to say something.

''We need to make a reunion'' She said.

''Already planned, two hours from now, remember?'' Adrien reminded her.

''Yeah, except not everyone that has to be there has been invited''

...

Antoine almost jumped from the scare that entering the tiny apartment and seeing the old guardian standing there in the dark gave him. Master Fu had headed earlier to his home, not wanting to go to the hospital, and Antoine would have done the same except he had to attend to... the other business. He sighed after his heart recovered its normal pulsation speed. He knew what the man wanted.

''Lets take this chance of us being alone for you to tell me everything, how does that sound?'' The elderly man spoke, reflecting the same truth Antoine had in his head: This was long coming.

''Well then'' He simply said, sat down in one of the sofas and waited for the guardian to do the same. ''Where do you want me to start?'' He said mostly as a joke. He knew what he had to say, it just wasn't something he wanted to say out loud. Not yet.

''You're a spy'' Declared the master.

''We already established that, yes'' He let the rest of the phrase go unsaid, he had already explained that, ultimately, he was working for them. With them. That was not a lie.

''But you are hiding something important. I might not be the best guardian out there, not even close, but I have enough experience to tell from your kwami's expression that you are leaving important things out on purpose'' Master Fu sounded calm, kind of like a teacher lecturing a problematic student he was fond of at the same time. It was weird, sensing those feelings from a man who was so mad at him the other night, not to mention they barely knew each other. ''I want to know those things''

''You can't tell Ladybug''

''Interesting''

''What?''

''That you mention Ladybug, not the others'' Master Fu was scratching his goatee now, a tiny smile on his face. He didn't need his powers to know that Master Fu was amused.

''Well, same thing, you can't tell anybody'' He just said Ladybug because, well.. she was the last one that had to know about his little plan.

''Tell me''

...

Alix was not prepared for a call from Marinette the same Saturday her classmate revealed herself to the world as the Hero of Paris. It was off putting, one because she hadn't heard much from the girl ever since Adrien 'went away' and two, because her mind supplied her immediately with what the call was for even before the girl on the other side of the line said anything.

She was told by her future self that she would wield a miraculous one day, after all.

Apparently, today was the day. Or so was she quickly assuming. She stared down at her precious clock while she listened to the heroine's invitation to a meeting at Chloe's hotel.

As soon as she hung out, she sighed loudly.

''You need to know some things before you go there, mini me'' Said a voice from behind the skater girl, startling her.

She let out a screech she was absolutely not proud of, thankfully the only other witness was herself. Secret safe. Still weird, though.

''Can't you knock?!''

''What's the fun in that? Love scaring myself!'' Said the bunny hero, full costume on and… transparent?

Alix was about to ask what was going on with her when the heroine just shushed her, then opened a portal, went in, and indicated for her to follow.

''Woah'' She said once she was inside the 'portal zone'

''We like to call it the rabbit hole'' Her older self snickered, like she was joking with something only she would understand. Well, it was just a question of time and she would understand it too, Alix supposed. She shrugged.

''Alright, what's going on?''

''A lot''

''Well yeah, Ladybug is Marinette! and she just called me to-'' She started explaining, but a finger on her mouth stopped her.

''Shh, I already know, remember?''

She nodded.

''A lot is happening. At the same time. On different times, everywhere. But most importantly, here'' There was a cryptic hue to her voice as she said that, like she was trying to tell her that she would know everything she meant with that. And judging by the situation, it was soon.

''Lets make this fast, since I already know what you're thinking let me do the talking, ok? This is important''

''Just one question''

''That's part of the story, mini-me'' She answered, and Alix had to process it a bit to realize that she was answering her question before she even said it.

''Long story short, Ha!'' She congratulated herself a lot from that little 'joke'... Was she destined to become a little bit hunginged, just like this?. ''Hey this is nothing, we are doing good considering…ANYWAYS, as I was saying, Long story Short story. You will become the owner of the time miraculous, the second one that is, snake boy is our soul brother''

''uhh''

''You are very excited about accepting your role, there is something about it that screams at you 'I was born for this', right?'' She nodded, trying to keep up with herself. ''But you must know, here and now, that there is a reason for that watch being on our family for generations''

Just the implications of that sentence gave Alix chills, but she continued listening.

''It's not that complicated really'' Bunnyx lifted a finger and made a pause. ''One''

''One?''

''There can only be one of us, at the same time, that is'' The heroine snorted again. Was just the word 'time' funny for her? that was kind of lame…

But what did she mean by that? There two of them right now..

''There can only be two 'Bunnyx' at the same time, that's what I mean, mini-me''

Alix decided to keep shut, as her older self obviously already knew what she was thinking, and what she was confused about. So she just waited for more answers.

''Good choice'' Bunnyx then sat on the eerie white floor of the 'rabbit hole', so Alix did the same. ''You know how there's a 'catch' for every miraculous out there, how none of them are all powerful and all that?. Like how Ladybug's Lucky Charm is never a straight answer to her problems, or how Pegasus portals only go one way, or Carapace's shield can be broken from the inside pretty easily-''

''Woah, I didn't know any of that, actually''

''Yeah, well, I'm telling you, every single miraculous has a 'weakness', if you want to call it like that, and ours is no exception''

''What is Chat Noir's weakness?'' She asked, curiosity winning her over.

''Eh, he told me once about it, but you will have to earn that one yourself. I will teach you many things before we can never see each other again, well, not exactly, but you know what I mean… Anyways, I will teach you a lot, like A LOT. But I won't spoil your life for you.''

This became a lot more intimidating all of a sudden, and Alix was starting to doubt if she wanted this job after all..

''Good, you're still doubting. That's good''

''Huh..''

''This power… this responsibility'' Another snicker. ''Will change you, Mini-me, but we are the chosen one for this for a reason'' The woman did a gesture that Alix interpreted as 'That's all I'll say about this'. Spoiler alert, basically. Alright.

''It's very potent, the little bunny, but also has a weakness, like I said before, there can't be two bunnyx on the same time frame. That means, you can't go through the portals that go to a time where 'Bunnyx' is active''

Alix took the little pause her older self gave her to look around. They were surrounded by portals, and she could already tell that one portal could go to many places.. or times, by the way they were flickering and changing constantly.

''Wait, if I can't go where there is already a hero-me… Then that means I can't go to many time frames at all, does it?''

''Yes and no''

''what does that-''

''Sh. It means that we are the only one, mini-me. We are THE Bunnyx. We are the guardian of time, we keep it clean and in order as much as we can, and we are only one person, with a normal life span, too''

''Oh… So you know when we are going to-?''

''Yes, and you won't resist the curiosity either, so I'm not gonna stop you'' The bunny heroine was dead serious now, probably recalling that 'information'. Alix wanted to promise herself that she wouldnt look, but the implication that, no matter what, she would, was clear. She knew herself.

''Then how do you help in battle?''

''Oh we can port in and out of the rabbit hole many times in the same time frame. You'll learn how to do it, but we usually don't help in direct battles anyways'' She shook her hand like it was no big deal. ''All we can do when it comes to the 'Bunny' times, as I like to call our weird life, is watch. We can watch the past and the future, and warn our friends if there's an irregularity''

''How do you know when something is irregular?'' That was a heavily loaded question, Alix knew. How do you even begin to judge what has to happen, and what doesn't?

''That's what I'm here for, on the last day we can talk'' There was a sad, soft smile on her older self's face, and Alix felt her face doing the same.

''I'm here to tell you, that you will know, that you have to trust your instincts and you'll do the right thing… and that if you don't, you can go back in time and try again!'' Then she laughed, and laughed and laughed.

God, she was crazy, but now she knew why!.

''How- how many times had we had this conversation?'' She was horrified to know the answer, but too curious to stop.

''You don't want to know''

''B-but you said we have a normal life span-''

''Outside the rabbit hole, when in your own present, yep. Normal person with a life, surprisingly''

The younger Alix felt like her head was going to explode. Seriously, how was her older self not even crazier, if she understood correctly what she just did?!

''There's a reason I'm the one here, and not grandma Alix'' Another self joke, except this time younger Alix snickered too, mostly out of nervousness, though.

''The important thing, is that you'll be fine'' Older Alix put her arms on younger Alix's shoulders, and she flinched a little at the contact.

''I thought you were transparent?, Saw you phasing throu-''

''Not here. That reality too unstable for me right now, but it's ok''

There was a heaviness, now, to the fact that someone that knew the future… ALL OF IT told her ''it's ok''. That that someone was her. Will be her. Tonight.

''So we will never talk like this again?''

''Sure you will! with reversed roles, though''

More headache.

''More importantly, I'm here to tell you that you must experiment and learn as much as possible once you get your kwami''

''Kwa-'' Interrupted again.

''Yes, this is a delicate time. Not just because of you, but because of the enemy Ladybug and her team are facing right now. Sin miraculous are no joke…''

''But if you are not intervening, it means it will go well, no?''

And there it was again, that cryptic smile. The one that meant ''you'll know… in time''

Godamnit this job was already hard to process, and she wasn't even 'in' yet.

...

Alix came out of a portal to her room, the clock on her hands indicating that not even a minute had passed since Marinette's call. But for her it felt like hours. Or maybe days? She couldn't tell, since not even her magical clock worked inside the portal zo- Rabbit Hole.

She snickered, not tired in the slightest, and prepared to head out to a very special meeting.


End file.
